


Out and About

by Mars1040



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, CYOA, Choose Your Own Adventure, F/M, Female Protagonist, Heist, Japan, Japanese Culture, Yakuza
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-02-07 10:06:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 56
Words: 90,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12838908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mars1040/pseuds/Mars1040
Summary: Would a professional art thief be considered "professional" without any work? After a month of pretty much being blacklisted in the business and being stuck in a rut after a month of unemployment, you decide to answer a vague job posting. You manage to get a job at Sullivan's Antiquities, but when you are whisked away to Japan, you realize you have no idea what lies in store for you.This is a Choose Your Own Adventure story, details are inside. Tags will be added as the story goes on and rating is subject to change.Voting Closes: January 31Next Update: February 7 (It's worth the wait, I promise)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! First of all, thank you for clicking, this is mostly an experiment doing this sort of thing, at least on this website. 
> 
> What's going to happen is that at the end of every chapter, I'm going to put a link to a straw poll for readers to vote. After a week or so, (maybe sooner depending on how many votes I get) I'll replace the link the poll to one of an image of the poll results and I'll post the next chapter ASAP. (Edit 6/18/18: Update dates and Poll Closing dates will be in the story summary. Right now it's every ten days, but may sometimes shorten to seven days after the poll closes.)
> 
> As of the posting of this prologue, nothing is written in stone. Yes, Sully and Sam will be featured in this story, but when this takes place depends on the choices. This might be in canon or some AU where Nate is still working with Sully or maybe he could be dead. (Edit 11/30/17: You maybe you already know since this the future and more chapters have been added since I first wrote this.) But I don't even know where this story is headed.

Out and About  
**Prologue**

You are in a rut, there was no doubt about it anymore. You have not gotten any work for over a month. Your days consist of waking up, heating up frozen waffles and bacon for breakfast, streaming random movies on Netflix until lunch, which usually consisted of microwave food. You then exercise until you get tired, eat dinner and go back to Netflix.

Finally, you have decided that enough is enough, you need to get out of this rut. You need to find another job one way or another…

…because your last rent payment emptied your bank account.

The usual job postings site had not yielding any results, so you decide to try another. The first job posting on this new website piques your interest.

Job Opening for Personal Assistant

Duties Include:  
Organizing files  
Checking email  
Taking notes  
Performing errands

Requirements:  
Willing to travel  
Sense of adventure  
Accepting of smoking  
An open mind

The vagueness and the wording of the ad strike you as odd--especially the "open mind" requirement--but everything else about it seemed professional enough. Heck, you applied to more professional-looking job openings only to find that it was a scam. You send a cover letter to the email provided and hoped that you were not applying to be cast in a porn video…

…again.

Two days later you find out that you have been called in for a job interview for this job. After making sure that the address was legit--it is in a small office building in a decent neighborhood--you put on your most professional outfit and head out.

Upon arriving at the address, you are almost put off by a sketchy-looking man stepping out for a smoke break. At first, you think that this is who would be interviewing you, a chain smoking career criminal. You almost immediately get a grip over yourself; since when were you the type to be dissuaded by a guy looking like some escaped convict? Besides, if he were the one interviewing you, he would be waiting for you inside.

You ignore him as you go inside. There is a security guard who is more interested in his phone than his job. When you get his attention, he is more annoyed than anything. You explain that you have a job interview at this address but do not know what office to go to. He opens an appointment book on his desk, has you sign next to the appointment for your interview and directs you to the office. When you thank him, he rudely shrugs it off and goes back to his phone. You wonder how much money they actually put into security for this building.

When you get to the door, you knock on it and announce yourself.

"Come on in, it's open!" a voice welcomes you.

You open the door and find a medium-sized office with two desks and papers and files everywhere in a disorganized mess. You quickly realize why the job posting was so vague: there is a lot of work to be done here. Sitting at one of the desks was a man who looked like he was approaching his sixties, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and an impressive mustache. There was something familiar about this man.

Wait, do you recognize him?

A: Yes.  
B. Sort of?  
C. No.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 11/30 (It's been less than a week, but I have been _really_ eager to get the story moving)  
> [Poll Results](https://i.imgur.com/7rkH4W7.png)
> 
> Now before you vote, I'd just like to inform you guys that sometimes these choices might have consequences that aren't inherently obvious.  
> For example: This one pretty much decides the character's past career. Sully deals in the black market and the criminal underworld.  
> Don't worry, I'll leave hints about any not-so-obvious choices and straight up warn you if a choice will result in something drastic happening (like a character death or something just as extreme).
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> EDIT 2/26/18  
> Fixed typos and grammatical errors, you know...three months later...


	2. How Embarassing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been less than a week but I realize that this story has a very slow start, and I'm just really eager to get it going so we can have some _real_ choices. 
> 
> Thank you to the guests that voted and kudos'd my story, you the real MVP.

Out and About  
**Choice A: Yes  
_How Embarassing..._**

You knew exactly who he was. Victor Sullivan, professional smuggler and purveyor of stolen goods. You have never dealt with him personally, but there were plenty of employers who did business with him. Though, despite your lack of interaction with him, he still seemed to recognize you.

"Well, well, well, I never expected someone like you to answer an ad for a PA," he said.

You shrug in embarrassment as you realize just how low you have hit--this was the reason why you were so uneasy about seeing the shady man outside. A year ago, you were considered one of the best art thieves in the world. Now, here you are, applying for menial labor for minimum wage. This moment definitely qualified as one of the most embarrassing moments in your life.

Part of you wants to run off and have nothing to do with Sullivan, but the rest of you knows that you need this job--especially now that you have a connection back to the business.

"Well, take a seat so we can start this interview," he offered you the chair opposite him. You sit down and regain your composure, getting mentally prepared for the questions he would be asking you. "Now, normally, I would be asking all the usual job interview questions, but I think a different line of questioning is in order." You nod, bracing yourself for the inevitable question, "Why would you apply for a plain old PA job?"

"Because no one else will hire me," you blurt out. Might as well get it over with quick.

"Now why is that?" He presses, out of curiosity mostly.

"I…messed up," you explain. "I left a mark on the forgery to replace the painting on my last job. They knew the painting was stolen the next day."

"So the painting became hot," Sullivan concludes.

You nod, "My client lost a lot of money and made sure I wouldn't get hired again."

"Now that's a damn shame," he gives his sympathies. "But how do you leave a mark on the painting?"

You shrug, "I must've brushed too hard when putting the forgery in the frame. Even though I treated that painting like any other."

"So you smudged it."

You nod again, not knowing what else to say as shame crawled down your back.

"You know, I'm no art expert, but a good painting wouldn't smudge so easily. It sounds to me like you client was too cheap to afford a good forgery and blamed you for the mess."

You are surprised to hear that Sullivan is on your side. You were so used to being turned away and blamed for the incident that you did not expect anyone to hear you out.

"I'll tell you what," he continues. "You're my last interview for this job, and frankly the only one who's cut out for this line of work. So what do you say we start tomorrow morning?"

Your eyes light up, "I got the job?"

"You got the job," he smiles. He gets up and grabs his jacket from the back of his chair, "Come on, I'll show you out."

You notice him taking a cigar out of his jacket pocket and begin toying with it. As he walks you out of the office, you run into the shady-looking man from downstairs.

Sullivan stops him, "Sam, allow me into introduce our new PA."

"Is she any different from the last ten girls you interviewed?" The man asks.

You feel the need to respond, but how so?

A. Neutral  
B. Angry  
C. Flirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 12/7  
> Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/ApmZSqq.png
> 
> Well, your first introduction to Sam Drake; you might like him, or maybe you don't, maybe Sully's more your type of guy. Just remember: first Impressions are important.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Just My Type

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I guess this is now a SamxReader fanfic, which isn't bad at all. But here's a little secret: Option B would've ended up as a SamxReader fanfic as well, but it wouldn't have been as obvious. So to keep it interesting, I had to throw in a little twist at the end. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: Flirty**  
_**Just My Type** _

You give the man a coy look, "I like to think I'm different from the other girls."

He chuckles with good nature as he flirts back, "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

The man introduces himself as Samuel Drake, Sullivan's partner. Sam is a historian and treasure hunter--just what you would expect from someone in this line of work. The way he spoke about it, you can tell that he loves what he does. You found it admirable for someone to be that enthusiastic about their line of work. Plus, you had to admit, there was something about rugged, convict-looking men that just attracted you. Maybe it was a rebellious thing, but whatever it was, Sam definitely seemed like someone you could get to know better.

Then, you remember hearing about Sullivan's partner before--except you recall his name was _Nathan_ Drake. And you definitely remember hearing he was _married_. You decide to ask for clarification later, saying "But I thought your name was Nathan," would definitely ruin this banter you have going on.

Sullivan clears his throat as a reminder that he is still there. He explains your background to Sam, and he is surprised.

"You don't think you're overqualified?" He asks.

"Maybe I'm more than a personal assistant," you wink.

At this point, Sullivan seems very annoyed by the flirting. You wonder if Sam had flirted with all of the other applicants for the job, or perhaps Sullivan had been jealous of the attention.

"Sam, I'll tell you more about her later," Sullivan says. "I'll see you in the office."

Sam nods and looks to you, "I'll be seeing you tomorrow then."

"Of course," you smile at him and accompany Sullivan downstairs. When the two of you get outside, he lights the cigar almost immediately.

"I've been waiting all day to smoke one of these," he says. "The landlord is picky when it comes to smoking in his building. He does random inspections to make sure no one does it. Sam and I almost got evicted when our office reeked of tobacco."

"We had to find a new place quickly," he explains. "We were interviewing for a PA in our old office, when Sam flat out told one of the girls that we were criminals. She called the cops faster than you could say 'evicted'." He took a drag from his cigar, "Of course, we weren't breaking any laws so we weren't arrested, but we did have to leave before we had any real attention on us. This was the first place that accepted us."

"So was Sam doing the interviews before?" You wonder.

"Yeah, he wasn't making any progress," Sullivan tells you. "Kept flirting with the girls. I had to step in so we could actually hire someone."

Now you understand why he was so eager to get you away from Sam, "No wonder you were so salty, I thought maybe that you were jealous of all the attention."

Sullivan laughs at this, "Sweetheart, I don't need to be jealous of Sam." He takes a drag from his cigar, "No offense, but none of the girls that we interviewed were…worth the trouble."

You were curious, "In what way?"

"For one thing, they were…a bit lacking in the intelligence department," he explains.

"Well, to be honest, the job posting was suspicious," you say. Then you realize that you were one of the people who answered it, "Wow, what does that say about me?"

"You were desperate," he tells you in an attempt to make you feel better. "Believe me, that's a few steps above 'stupid'."

To your surprise, you feel a little better--it was true after all.

"Anyway," he sticks his hand out for you to shake. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, bright and early at ten o'clock."

You smile and shake his hand, "Thank you Mr. Sullivan."

"Please, my friends call me Sully," he insists.

"Okay, thank you Sully." You bid him farewell and head home.

When you get home, you get started on dinner. However, instead of booting up Netflix, you decide to do something different. You think about Sam and his enthusiasm about history and treasure hunting and decide that you want to impress him. You set up your computer to do research on various archeological websites. You also hoped that you would get involved in any jobs they came across; after all, you are an experienced art thief, your skills would definitely come in handy on any job.

The next morning you arrive at the office on time to find it locked with the lights off. For a moment, you wonder if Sully had forgotten that he had told you ten o'clock, or that he expected you to be late. You have no way of contacting of either Sam or Sully since you had not gotten their cell phone numbers--you make a mental note of getting them. With nothing else to do you decide to wait until someone showed up. Sure enough, after a few minutes Sully arrived with a tray of three coffees in his hand.

"Hey, I wasn't sure if you were a morning person so I brought you some coffee," he offers.

"Thanks," you say. You already had coffee at home but you are not about to turn down his kindness--plus you do not think there is such a thing as too much caffeine.

He takes his keys out of his pocket to unlock the door, "Sam's not much of a morning person so I have a cup of coffee ready for when he comes in, whenever that is."

When Sully opens the door, he places the tray on his desk before tossing his jacket off and sitting in his chair. You take off your own jacket and place it on the back of the chair where you sat for you interview the previous day. You see him reach down and open a mini-fridge that was hidden from plain view. He takes out a carton of creamer to pour in his coffee. You take a better look around the office and find that there is a microwave hidden beneath a pile of books near Sam's desk. Strangely enough, you do not see any type of coffee brewer despite seeing the much more expensive mini-fridge and microwave.

When you ask about a coffee brewer, Sully replies, "Our last one broke down, we just haven't gotten around to buying a new one."

"Maybe you should," you advise as you take your coffee cup. "You'd save money on coffee."

He nods, "Yeah, the coffee shop around the corner raised their prices a while back."

You start drinking after adding milk and sugar and you ask about what to do first.

"We could clean up this place for starters," he says. "We could start with my side of the office, Sam gets picky when it comes to his side."

"Let me guess, it's an 'organized mess'," you joke.

"That's right," Sully tells you. "I think he's just too goddamn stubborn to let anyone else touch it."

"I'm that way too, kinda," you admit. "But it's nothing work related, just my personal stuff."

Your heart skips a beat when comparing yourself to Sam. When the two of you finish your coffee, you start work on organizing the various papers around his desk. Eventually, Sam comes trudging in, muttering his "good mornings".

"Good morning," you smile at him, hoping that you would brighten his day.

You are disappointed when he does not look back at you, and instead groans an incoherent response. He grabs a cup of coffee and sticks it in the microwave.

As you and Sully work on the desk, you find yourself stealing glances at the treasure hunter. But then you get a grip over yourself. You are not a school girl and Sam is not the older boy you have a crush on. He is essentially your boss and you knew that getting romantically involved with your employers never ended well. Still, you know that it will be hard trying to control yourself.

After you and Sully have been making progress on cleaning up his desk, he decides now would be a good time for a smoke break. He invites you along, but you decline, wanting to spend some time alone with Sam, as dangerous as that may be. He leaves you along with your work and Sam drinking his coffee at his desk.

Despite your best not to, you still catch yourself looking at Sam; then you see him taking out a flask and pouring some of the contents in his coffee. You freeze: what was inside the flask had to be alcohol--there was nothing else it could be. You have been watching him practically since he came in; all of his behavior could have easily been because he was hungover.

Perhaps you should say something, or maybe just ignore it; what do you say?

A. "Are you hungover?"  
B. "Not a morning person, huh?"  
C. "How's the coffee?"  
D. Nothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 12/11 (Yes, less than a week again, I'm just afraid of looking at the poll again and seeing a tie :P )  
> Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/Im2bE4j.png
> 
> I bet you weren't expecting that. To what extent is Sam abusing alcohol? I don't know. You could try figuring it out by addressing the issue...or not. After all, it might not be that serious, but who can tell?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. "You Have Your Reasons"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another less than a week, but I was getting frustrated at seeing a tie every time I checked the poll and saw new votes. So I just jumped on this almost as soon as I saw a tiebreaker vote. Honestly, all the choices were interesting and different, so it didn't matter too much to me which one was chosen. 
> 
> Thanks for voting everyone, enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: "Are you hungover?"**  
_**"You Have Your Reasons"** _

"Are you hungover?" you ask.

Sam almost chokes on his coffee when he hears this, "No, no, why do you ask?"

"I just saw you pour alcohol in your coffee" you point out.

Embarrassed, he stumbles around the issue until finally, he admits, "Fine, I sneak a little alcohol now and again."

You frown, "That's not good."

"Now, I don't do it all the time," he begins getting defensive. "Just when…"

As he stumbles around again, you can tell that he is very uncomfortable with the issue. You do not know him that well, so you think that it is not your place to call him out on it.

"Okay," you stop him. "You have your reasons."

You return to work silently, but you cannot help but think about Sam's problem. No one drinks for no reason--there must be something that he is hiding. Then, you think back to Nathan Drake, and how he is related to Sam. For all you know Sam and Nathan could be the same person, changing his name for some reason. Nathan was said to be married, so perhaps he wanted to get out of his marriage--or perhaps something terrible happened to his wife so Nathan cut all ties to forget and went as far as changing his name.

You shake your head and mentally scold yourself for letting your imagine run away with itself. If the situation were that extreme, Sam would not keep the surname "Drake". Still, you wondered if "Nathan Drake" was the reason why Sam began drinking.

After a while, Sully came back, "I hope you two kids behaved yourselves while I was gone."

"No," you begin. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sam freeze--afraid, perhaps, of you telling Sully that he was drinking; Although that was not your intention at all, "We had a quickie right after you left."

When you look to wink at him, you see Sam melt in relief as he plays along, "Yeah, sorry Victor. But you know what they say--morning sex is the best sex."

Sully chuckles, "It's not morning sex unless you're just getting out of bed."

The rest of the day is uneventful as you and Sully continue to work his side of the office. The three of you order take-out for lunch, making small talk as you eat. You manage to show off your newfound archeological knowledge without coming off as bragging. You study Sam's reaction and he seems impressed by you.

You and Sully finish organizing his side of the office not long after lunch. When you consider starting work on Sam's side, part of you wants to put if off until tomorrow since it seems like it will take far longer. Then again, today, he did not really "wake up" until around lunch time, so you might as well start now--or when Sam comes back from his most recent smoke break.

"Why don't we just call it a day?" Sully tells you, "You can get started on Sam's side of the room tomorrow."

You look over your shoulder at Sam's empty seat, "Wouldn't we just start the same time tomorrow?"

"Nah," he shrugs it off. "I'll just tell Sam to come in early, so he'll be ready to work by ten or eleven tomorrow."

You nod, "Okay, if you're sure it'll work."

As you grab your jacket to leave, Sully stops you, "You know, I notice how you're looking at Sam."

You blush in embarrassment, "I guess I didn't do a good job of hiding it."

He shakes his head and leans on his desk, "Just a word of advice--Sam isn't a very…accessible person. I don't remember him ever having a stable relationship in his life--romance-wise anyway." You are about to speak up, but he stops you, "I don't care what you see in him or anything, it's none of my business. Just be careful, okay?"

"Sully, I'm not going to pursue a relationship with him," you assure him. "I'm attracted to him--that's pretty obvious--but I've been in the business long enough to know not to make it personal with your employers."

He sighs, "You know how many people I've heard that from? And how many people made it personal?"

You cross your arms confidently, "Well I have a proven track record. I even turned down one of the biggest playboys in the business."

Sully raised his eyebrows, "Let me guess--Marcel Lister." You frown slightly at the correct guess. "The most attractive feature on him, I've heard, was his money. There wasn't much else to go for, unless you're into stuck-up rich brats."

You had to agree, there was not anything you found attractive about Marcel. The only reason why Marcel had a "playboy" reputation was because he tended to sleep with his female partners.

"I'll tell you what," you say. "If I do get into a failed relationship with Sam, you're more than welcome to say, 'I told you so.'"

He shrugged, "Alright, I'll see you in the morning."

You bid Sully goodbye and head downstairs. When you get downstairs, you see Sam finishing his cigarette.

"Hey," he talks to you before you can say anything to him. "Thanks for not telling Victor about…you know."

"Of course," you say. "You don't become successful in this business by being a tattle-tale."

He laughs, "Right, right. By the way, Victor told me about what happened to you--"

"Forget it," you brush it off.

"I mean it sucks--"

"Yeah, but it's not like talking about it's going to change anything," you tell him.

"Alright," he backs off and stamps out his cigarette. "So, you're finished for the day?"

"That's right, tomorrow we'll start on your side of the office."

He smirks, "So we'll be working together, that's what you're saying."

You cannot help but smile, "Well, yeah."

"I'm looking forward to it," his words make your heart flutter. "You want me to walk you to the end of the block?"

You take him up on the offer, but what do you talk about?

A. Nathan Drake  
B. Your career  
C. His career  
D. Sully

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/uycdTO3.png
> 
> You can take this chance to get to know Sam a little and get him to open up. But he's also taken an interest in you, maybe you can tell him about yourself instead. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. A Touchy Subject

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm just going to say this right now: The next chapter will being going up this Thursday and the next one won't be up until the following Thursday. I say this because next Monday is Christmas and instead of enjoying the holiday, I will be working my ass off. This is what happens when you work in the service industry. I'm just glad this chapter has a simple choice, so I need to make the next one have a complex one that's worth the wait. 
> 
> Thanks for all the support everyone! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Nathan Drake**  
_**A Touchy Subject** _

At long last, you decide to bring up Nathan Drake, "So, I heard that Sully's partner was someone named 'Nathan Drake,' any relation?"

He sighs and says with slight annoyance, "That would be my little brother."

You regret asking when you see his reaction, "I'm sorry, do you two not get along or…"

"No, no, I'm sorry," he apologizes. "I've been in prison for thirteen years and he's gotten a head start on me with his own treasure hunting career."

You understand immediately, "It must be hard hearing about your younger brother's accomplishments."

"You have no idea," he mutters.

Then, it occurs to you, "Wait, is that why you 'sneak alcohol'?"

He is uneasy about the subject matter, you are about to drop it when he responds, "It's a little bit of that."

You wonder if he actually wants to talk about it. When you ask, he politely declines.

"You're a personal assistant, not a shrink," he insists. You are about to respond when he continues, "Listen, I appreciate you wanting to help me, but this is something I have to deal with on my own, okay?"

You want to tell him that this is not something he can handle by himself, but you realize you do not know him very well to tell him this. Instead, you decide to drop the subject entirely. You bid him goodbye and head home.

Upon returning home, you make yourself dinner and continue doing archeological research. You had to admit, archeology was just as interesting--if not even more so--as the history behind the paintings you used to steal. Even if you and Sam did not work out--which, to be honest, was extremely likely to you--you were glad to have met him to get into this sort of thing. You only wished that you got into this kind of stuff sooner.

The next day you arrive at the office, the lights are on, so you decide to knock on the door to alert whoever was inside to your presence.

"Come in," Sam's voice is loud and clear.

You enter, and you find him looking at papers on his desk in an attempt to clean up. It appears that Sully's strategy in telling Sam to arrive earlier worked, he did not appear to look tired in the slightest.

"Hey," he begins, sounding annoyed. "Victor told me yesterday that you'd be in two hours ago. Then I found this note saying that he lied to me to get me up early," he held up an index card with some writing that you could not make out.

"Sorry, I should've warned you yesterday," you apologize as you shrug out of your jacket.

Sam realizes his tone and pulls back, "No, no, I'm sorry. It's not your fault--I'm just venting." He gestures to the papers in front of him, "I figured I'd get a head start since I'm here so early."

The two of you get to work rather quickly. You find the head start helped tremendously, the papers on his desk were partially organized, all you really had to do was sort them into folders. The two of you made some small talk whilst working; mostly about the papers and what kind of research he was doing.

Around eleven o'clock, Sam receives a text message from Sully, who had yet to show up. As he paused to read and reply to the message, you came across what seemed like a recent message to Sam. The message reads:

Sam,  
Just thought I'd drop you a line. Nadine and I are in Japan working on something for a client. It's a big payout so I thought you'd want a piece of the action. But fair warning: this might get a little dangerous. I suspect the Yakuza are involved and Nadine definitely does not want to go out of her way to rescue you again. I, on the other hand, would not mind the help. Just something to think about.  
-Chloe

But what really catches your attention is the paper clipped behind it. It was a photocopy of a painting from feudal japan--the Kamakura period if you were not mistaken. It depicted a samurai on a shore holding an immaculate-looking sword, which appeared to be the main focus of the painting.

"Victor's not coming in until later," Sam finally says. "He says he's getting lunch with someone, so we might as well get something by ourselves." He notices you looking at the picture, "You know what that painting is?"

"It's a twelfth-century Japanese painting," you explain in layman's terms. "Around this time, the Japanese art mostly used narrative scrolls--you know, where they tell a story. This kind of reminds me of that, only there's no story, it's like an ending."

Sam is legitimately impressed with your knowledge, "A friend of mine sent that to me and I did some research for her. The man in the picture is supposed to be Minamoto Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura shogunate--that's a time period where--"

"--Japan was a military dictatorship," you finish. "I know that, I didn't know you knew that."

He acts hurt, "Are you insinuating that I don't do my research?"

He pulls out a book out of one of the piles behind him. The book is titled "Kamakura Shogunate" and from you can see by flipping through it, it details the culture of Japan from 1185 to 1333. Sam flips the book open to a page with a post-it sticking out of it. Half the page is taken up by an illustration of a samurai sword that looked identical to the one in the painting.

"This, is what she's after, Minamoto's Katana," he tells you. "This thing's been lost for years, almost to the point where no one believes it really exists."

"It'd be worth a fortune," you realize. You turn to him in disbelief, "Why aren't you in Japan helping your friend?"

"Last time I helped her, I ended up being held prisoner by an Indian warlord for weeks," he explains almost too casually. "And when we finally got the treasure, she ended up giving it to the government for _way_ less than we could have gotten for it," he definitely seemed irked at this. "So, all in all, not worth the trouble. Besides, even with this information, there's still no confirming that it actually exists. For all I know, we'd end up on some wild goose chase and pissing off the Japanese mafia while we're at it."

With this information dump, you had to admit that Sam had good reason not to join his friend. And if you were honest with yourself, you were slightly afraid that he and this "Chloe" were more than friends. Luckily, it seems to you that the two of them keep to a professional relationship.

"Anyway," he stretches. "I think we should just go ahead and get lunch now. I know an outdoor café we can go to, unless you just want take-out again."

The outdoor café is very tempting, it would almost be like a date with him. Although, maybe it would be better for your relationship not to escalate, despite your attraction.

What should you do for lunch?

A. Eat In  
B. Outdoor Café

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/lVghGFh.png](https://i.imgur.com/lVghGFh.png)
> 
> Well, you could make this a date and get to know Sam better (maybe get him to open up more) or you just stay in and talk shop. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Obligatory Date Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this choice won in a bit of a landslide, I totally saw this coming so I readied this chapter yesterday and published it today. (That's why the poll at the bottom was posted yesterday). And I know I could've added a choice earlier in the chapter, but I realized I never touched upon how Sam feels about Nate enough in the last chapter, so I felt the need to make up for it here. 
> 
> Thanks for the voting! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Outdoor Café**  
_**"Obligatory Date Scene"** _

"That outdoor café sounds nice," you tell Sam.

"Outdoor café it is," he confirms.

The two of you grab your jackets and head outside. The café is only a few blocks away from the office. The two of your sit down and are attended to by a server relatively quickly. You order your drinks and strike up conversation.

"So, what's off-limits in terms of conversation?" You ask.

He is confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I go on a date, the first thing I do is ask what not to talk about," you explain. "It makes things a lot easier."

"A date, huh?" He mutters to himself, "I haven't actually been on a date since my early twenties."

"Really," you are surprised. "I thought you'd get more action than that."

He lets out a laugh at your comment, "No, no, I can get plenty of action. It's just, between jobs, it's kind of hard to date in our line of work. It's easier to just hook up for one night and that's it."

"I hate those," you say. "It might be different for guys, but I don't like a guy I barely know sticking his dick in me."

"There goes my evening plans," he jokes.

You laugh along with him, "Now, really, what's off-limits?"

He thinks for a moment, "For one thing, the alcohol--" you find that to be a given, "--that thirteen-year prison stint I told you about yesterday--" once again, another given, "--and my brother."

That last one, you are confused about, "You don't want me asking about your brother?"

"Yeah, it's just a subject I don't like talking about," he explains.

"So what about that Indian warlord from before?" You inquire, "You're willing to talk about that?"

"Yeah, he nearly killed me," he tells you. "But my friend--the same one who's in Japan right now--she went and saved me."

"Chloe, right?" You guess.

He nods, "I can see why my brother liked her so much."

"Hey, I thought we weren't talking about your brother," you point out.

"No, you're not allowed to _ask_ me about my brother," he clarifies. "I can talk about him all I want."

You let out a laugh, "That wasn't what we agreed on. I said 'off-limits' you say 'my brother' so you can't bring him up at all." You then lean forward as another idea comes to your head, "As a matter of fact, every time you bring him up again, I should be able to ask a question about it. Deal?"

He looks at you, more amused than anything, "Fine. Deal. Now let's talk about you. Do you date?"

"Now and then," you answer. "I like my solitude but it's nice to have a boyfriend once in a while."

He nods in understanding as you talk, "So what usually happens? Do you get bored of them or do they get sick of your lifestyle and dump you?"

You roll your eyes, "You can word that a little better."

He realizes that what he said, "Sorry, that came off as crude, didn't it?"

"No wonder you don't date," you wink. "You probably only have enough charm to get them into bed."

Sam is about to retort when the server returns with your drinks. The two of you give your food order and the server leaves once again.

"I have more charm than you think," he finishes his thought. "I got you to go on a date with me, didn't I?"

You laugh, "This doesn't count! If I wasn't working for you, we wouldn't be here!"

"But we are here," he points out. "And I gave you the option for us to get takeout in the office. You're the one who wanted to come here."

You curse inwardly as you realize he is right. You wanted to come out with him because you like him, despite knowing that you should not get involved with your employer.

Sam grinned smugly as he took out a cigarette, "I'll chalk that up as a victory." He pauses as he begins to light the cigarette, "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" You shake your head as he resumes lighting his cigarette, "Well, you should be okay with smoking, it was in the job ad, after all. I had to make sure Victor and I weren't getting a whole lecture when we started lighting up."

"Wait, so you wrote the ad?" You wonder.

"Yeah, after Victor started doing the interviews, I started to regret it," he explains. "Most of the girls were…really stupid. Hell, one of them were willing to screw me _and_ Victor to get the job."

You cannot help but laugh out loud at this, despite being in the same pool of girls who answered the ad, "Well that's what happens when your job posting is vague like that, all sorts of weirdos come out."

"Well, consider my lesson learned," he says.

Then, there was something that occurred to you, "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why did you guys need a PA?"

Sam puffs on his cigarette, "It's to give the business…a sort of front. Victor changes offices more times than he changes shoes, so it's hard to find us. Plus the two of us get into dangerous situations that either ends with our phones getting destroyed or incapacitates us to a point where we miss out on potential clients."

"That last one sounded a little too specific," you notice. "Was that what ended up happening once?"

He nods, "I was getting tied up in India--both literally and figuratively--and Victor was doing some other business in…Hong Kong I think it was? When we finally get together again, we find out that a huge client was trying to get contact with us for a job with a heavy payout. Of course, by the time we get in contact with said client, he already hired someone else for the job." He leans back in his chair, "I'm surprised he's never thought of it when he and Nathan--" he freezes when he realizes what he had just said. "Damn it."

"Well you know the deal," you tease.

"Yeah, yeah," he sighs. "Ask away."

"What happened between you guys for you to act like this?" You ask.

"No, nothing," he insists. "I love my brother, I'm happy that's he's accomplished so much and that he's got a family--hell, I love my niece to bits." His eyes float downward, "It's just…for all of his accomplishments, I was supposed to be there with him. It wasn't supposed to be just 'Nathan Drake' it was supposed to be 'The Drake Brothers'. Every time I hear about Nathan, it's just a cruel reminder of what I've lost."

Seeing Sam so downtrodden like this makes you regret asking. You can see why he drinks alcohol. He did not miss just thirteen years of his life, he missed thirteen years of his brother's life as well.

"I'm sorry," you apologize. "I didn't know--"

"Now you do," he simply says. "Now can we talk about something else?"

Fortunately, the date recovers from this mood whiplash and the two of you make more small talk, cracking jokes and having a good time. During the meal, however, Sam gets a message from Sully.

"What is it?" You wonder.

"Victor brought whoever he was having lunch with to the office," Sam informs you. "Probably a potential client if he's telling me about it."

The two of you finish your lunch and leave after you pay the bill. When you return to the office, you see a dark-skinned woman sitting in the chair opposite Sully. You are about to greet her when you realize, Sam has frozen in his tracks. The way the woman looks at him is not very pleasant. These two have clearly had history between them.

Sully clears his throat to diffuse the tension, "Nadine, I'd like to introduce you to our new PA."

Nadine. That name was familiar to you, but it does not immediately ring a bell.

When Sully introduces you, she stands up to offer a handshake, "Nadine Ross."

When you accept the handshake, you find that she has a very strong grip, causing to you yelp, "Ow!"

"Sorry, I have a firm grip," she says.

"Kind of an understatement if you ask me," you respond as you rub your hand.

"Chloe's not with you?" Sam finally speaks up.

With the mention of Chloe, you realize who Nadine is. She was mentioned in Chloe's note to Sam, so she must be her partner. But isn't she supposed to be in Japan?

"This is about her," Nadine tells him.

Sam offers you the seat at his desk as Nadine begins to tell her story. The short version is that whilst looking into Minamoto's Katana, the two women had caught the attention of the Yakuza. Chloe got careless and ended up becoming their prisoner.

"I'm coming to you because you owe her, Drake," she says to Sam.

"Do you see me arguing?" Sam replies. "Did you make any progress on finding the katana?"

She looks away in regret, "None that I could see."

"You two had to have stumbled upon something," Sully insists. "After all, they had to have targeted the two of you. Chloe's a capable woman, if this was a random kidnapping, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"I don't know what to tell you Victor," Nadine sits down. "It seemed like we were running into a bunch of dead ends."

Sully sighs, "It looks like we'll need to look at the progress you girls have made so far."

"It's all with our client in Japan," she tells them.

"Then it looks like we're going to Japan," Sully looks to you. "Do you mind holding the fort down for us?"

Before you can reply, Sam speaks up for you, "Actually, Victor, she can help us with this." He finds the message from Chloe and shows Nadine the painting, "You never figured out what this painting means, did you?"

"No," she responds.

"This is where she comes in," he gestures to you. "If we can figure this out, then we can beat the Yakuza to the sword and save Chloe."

"Are you sure you're not thinking with your dick?" Nadine accuses. "You were just out with her after all."

Well that was incredibly rude, you are obviously insulted by the comment. Then again, this seems like a delicate situation; after all, the Yakuza are infamous for their cruelty, and selling captive women into the human trafficking business. The more time you waste, the less time Chloe has, and Nadine must know it.

How do you respond to her comment?

A. Pick a fight.  
B. Let Sam respond.  
C. Explain to her that your expertise will be useful in saving Chloe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/STSabJG.png](https://i.imgur.com/STSabJG.png)
> 
> Once again, first impressions are important and Nadine clearly isn't making a good one on you. However, her partner is missing, so maybe you should cut her some slack...or not. 
> 
> And honestly, this is where the story gets good. We have a real adventure with characters other than Sam and Sully! We have begun our evolution from glorified romance fic!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. "There's More To This"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, as promised. Although, after the overwhelming amount of votes in the two days after I posted this, I was tempted to post this on Monday as a Christmas gift to you guys. However, I was super busy during the holidays and this chapter ended up being pretty long anyway. 
> 
> Thanks for voting! Enjoy!
> 
> Edit: I'm retroactively fixing any errors that I have made in this chapter regarding locations, I'll list these changes at the end for anyone who's curious.

Out and About  
**Choice C: Explain to her that your expertise will be useful in saving Chloe.**  
_**"There's More To This"** _

You feel very insulted at the comment; however, you decide to be the bigger person in this situation.

"It's not that," you begin. "I am an art thief with a degree in art history to boot. If I had the actual painting here, I could tell you almost exactly what the going price would be for this painting. I already know what the history is just by looking at this photocopy of it," you look at the picture again and something catches your eye.

The painting appears to continue on past the scroll. Before, you had simply assumed that the copier had cropped off the edge, but there was a portion of a wall or some kind of backdrop right around the cutoff. And it is hard to tell, but there seems to be some sort of tear at the cutoff.

"Hey, you okay?" Sam snaps you out of your thoughts.

"There's more to this," you say.

"What did you say?" Nadine asks.

"There's more to this painting," you clarify. You take the picture out of Sam's hand and put it on Sully's desk for everyone to see. "It's really hard to see, but this was torn," you inform them. "I told Sam it seemed like it was the ending of the story and I think it is. If you and Chloe were onto something, it has to do with this painting."

"Our client was the one who got us this copy," Nadine explains. "He said it belongs to some Yakuza figurehead."

"Who is this genius anyway?" Sully wonders.

"Some Polish playboy," she says. "Marcel…something or other."

You and Sully know exactly who she was talking about. Marcel Lister, well-known billionaire playboy. His only attractive feature is his money, which he _loves_ using. He will spare no expense getting the best and giving his partners whatever they need to get the job done. The only downside was that Marcel has a tendency to take all the credit for the job for himself. Most people know this going in, and only work for him for the money. Marcel had no problem getting a photograph of this painting, however, he tipped off whoever it was trying to get this katana.

"Do us a favor and get the name of this figurehead so we can get a head start on this," Sully instructs her. "And you can tell Marcel to expect us in Japan tomorrow."

"Will do," she tells him with a professional tone. "I'll send you a text message tonight," she begins to leave, but pauses before she does so, "And…thanks."

"Thank us when he get the job done," he replies.

With that, she leaves. You cannot help but feel irked about the fact that she did not apologize for what she said.

When you bring it up, Sam brushes it off, "It's sort of how she is. I was lucky to get an apology out of her after a few weeks of working together."

"What about?" You wonder.

"She thought I sold our treasure from India," he explains. "Turns out, _she_ just misplaced it. Don't know how you misplace something that valuable, but there it is. And I'm convinced that Chloe put her up to apologizing."

"Okay, if we can stop beating around the bush for a minute," Sully began. "We need to do some research before we dive head-first into this job."

"Right," you agree. "First off, do you know the artist who made this?" You refer to the photocopied panting.

Sam shakes his head, "The original email said that this was done by 'anonymous'."

You frown, "That's actually pretty common with anything nearly a millennium old. Where's that Kamakura book?"

Sam gives you the book and you begin to look through it to find if there is some kind of art section that may give you a clue as to where the rest of the scroll is. After a while, Sully gets a text from Nadine telling them who owns the part of the scroll that they know about.

"It belongs to some guy named 'Uematsu'," Sully says. "Doesn't seem like Marcel knows much else."

"What a surprise," you roll your eyes.

Sam is confused, "You guys know who this 'Marcel' is?" You and Sully explain who Marcel is to Sam. When you are finished, he frowns, "Sounds a lot like Rafe, if you ask me."

"A few steps up from Rafe if you ask me," Sully tells him. "Marcel isn't a sociopathic man-child like he was."

The only person that comes to mind for you when you hear that name is Rafe Adler. The CEO of an international corporation who ventures into treasure hunting in his free time. He had gone out of his way to contact you for potential jobs in the past, but none that you felt were worth the trouble. You also remember that he went missing over a year and a half ago.

"Marcel isn't bad to work with," you put in. "He's just snobby…and a little too flirty…and kind of dumb. But he doesn't get involved where he isn't supposed to."

Somehow, you get the impression that this does not endear Marcel to Sam. Instead, he simply drops the subject and goes out for a smoke. While he is gone, Sully takes this opportunity to talk to you.

"I see you two went out for lunch together," he points out.

"Yeah," you reply, crossing your arms.

"Let me guess, _he_ suggested it."

Come to think of it, the café _was_ Sam's idea.

"He sure seems to have taken a liking to you," Sully adds.

"What are you trying to say?" You ask, a little irritated.

"We just started working here, you've got a good reputation and a good eye," he explains. "I just don't want to see a potential partnership get ruined over something petty like relationships."

"It's not a relationship," you assure him. Then, you decide to take the conversation into a different direction, "You really see potential in our partnership?"

He nods, "If I didn't I wouldn't have taken you on in the first place."

This makes you happy, however, it also worries you. You like Sam, and you realize he likes you back. But remembering Sully's warnings about getting involved with him, you realize if the relationship fails, it will not only ruin your personal relationship with Sam, but your partnership with him and Sully.

This gives you something to think about.

After a while, Sam returns to the office, "So what now?"

"There's not much we can do right now," Sully informs him. "I know someone who can do some digging and find out more about this 'Uematsu' guy. In the meantime, we might as well get some rest. We'll have to take off early if we want to get to Japan in a timely manner."

"There's no chance we can take a commercial flight, is there?" Sam wonders.

"Not a single one," Sully tells him. "You can go home, I'll lock up."

You grab your jacket and you and Sam start to head downstairs.

"You should probably pack a few books," he advises you. "It's a twelve-hour flight to Japan."

Your face pales, "You're kidding."

"I'm not. It's halfway around the world, not to mention eight time zones over. I'm going to be really jet-lagged."

You realize he is right. Due to the severity of the situation, it is inadvisable for you to take a day to rest.

Seeing your enthusiasm fade, Sam decides to cheer you up, "It won't be that bad; just think: we'll be in Japan. You ever been to Japan?"

"Once or twice," you admit. "I've only been to Kyoto though. Have you?"

"Can't say that I have," he tells you. "I've only really been to Central and South American countries, and just a few European ones and India, of course. Oh, and Madagascar."

"Okay," you say. "I kind of thought you'd have been to more countries than that."

"I'm getting around to all of them," he shrugs. "Working with Victor, I know I'll get to see them all eventually. What countries have you been to?"

"Just a handful," you confess. "Nothing really out of my comfort zone."

"Comfort zone being…?"

"Language barrier."

He understands, "Yeah, that can be hard, but knowing one or more of the Romance languages help. You can _almost_ speak to an Italian person in Spanish."

"Almost," you repeat. The two of you get outside and you see Sam take out another cigarette. "Didn't you just smoke one?"

"Yeah," he answers simply. "Kind of a habit I picked up in prison."

"Right, prison," you mumble, slightly annoyed that he is referencing something that he does not want to talk about.

Sensing your annoyance, he changes the subject, "You know how you're getting to the airport?"

"Yeah," you reply. "I'll just take a cab--that's okay, right?"

"Of course it is," he laughs. "It's not like we're going to some drug dealer's personal airstrip."

"Okay, just had to be sure," you say. "Some of the people I've worked with in the past were _really_ paranoid."

"I can imagine."

The two of you say your goodbyes before leaving. When you get home, you prepare and eat dinner, then quickly do more research on the painting. You had taken the copy of the painting as well as the Kamakura Shogunate book home to get as much work done as possible.

After combing through the internet and finding nothing on paintings of Minamoto Yoritomo, you look through the book, in hopes of finding some other lead. When you get to a section about art during the time period, you see a painting of a landscape very similar to the painting of Minamoto. You look for the name of the artist: Kimura Naoki.

You search up the name over the internet and find an online encyclopedia page on him. He was an artist that was active around the time when Minamoto died, and had very little work associated with him due to being lost to time. You look at what work was available to view, and the art style was strikingly similar to the one you already have; you had found the artist.

After looking through his artwork, you find a narrative scroll that seems to have been cut off. The work is entitled "Yoritomo's Legacy" and was originally found in two pieces, which were pieced together by experts from the Brodeur Gallery in the Yamate district of Yokohama, where the work hangs to this day.

You look at the scroll in the highest resolution image you can find, and see that it is definitely a continuation of the painting that you already know of. However, you see that there is still something missing from the other end.

This was what you are looking for! The scroll must give clues to the whereabouts of Minamoto's Katana. You are convinced everyone will be impressed, including Sam. You print out all the information and get it ready for you to take with you when you leave the next morning. You also pack your bags so that all you need to do is grab your stuff when the cab arrives. You go to sleep despite all the excitement you are feeling.

The next morning you arrive at the airport and have no trouble finding Sully. He is smoking a cigar in front of a small hangar.

"Hey, you're here early," he greets you.

"Well I'm excited," you tell him honestly. "I found a lead on the painting."

He takes the cigar out of his mouth, "Did you now?"

"Yeah, there's a painting in Yamahama--at least that's what I think it's called--and--"

"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses," he tries calming you down. "Why don't we wait for the rest of our group to join us before you go into any more detail."

"Right," you agree. It is a lot of information, it will be much easier to explain to everyone at all once.

Not long afterwards Nadine arrives, "Sam isn't here yet?"

"He'll be here," Sully assures her. "When I give him a time and place, he's always here on time."

Sam arrives at the mention of his name, "We're all here?"

"We are now," Sully finishes his cigar. "Come on, let's get going."

"So, is this going to be a straight shoot to Japan?" You wonder.

"I'll probably have to refuel somewhere in the middle-east," he says. "It'll give us a chance to stretch our legs."

"And have a smoke," Sam adds.

You clearly have underestimated how much Sam enjoys smoking.

The three of you enter the hangar and you see Sully's plane for the first time. It is a cargo plane, looking like it can land on either land or sea. There looks to be plenty of room for cargo, but not much for people.

Sully is the first to climb inside. Sam is about to follow, but allows Nadine to enter before him.

"I suppose you'll be calling shotgun," he says to her.

"No, you can ride in the front," she replies.

This comes as a shock to Sam. He looks between you and her before putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender and climbing into the plane. You climb into the plane after her. You see Sam climb into the copilot seat, talking to Sully who was already strapped in. Nadine takes a seat on the wall to the right of the cockpit door. There is another seat to the left, so you take it.

"Strap yourselves in," Sully advises as he starts the plane's engine.

Everyone is silent, except for Sully who is requesting clearance to take off from the control tower, as the plane exits the hangar and starts taxing down a small runway. After a few minutes, you are in the air, and everyone is still quiet--it is starting to bother you now.

You feel that you should be the one to say something, but to who?

A. Talk to Sully.  
B. Talk to Sam.  
C. Talk to Nadine.  
D. Talk about the lead you just found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/VOm4nig.png](https://i.imgur.com/VOm4nig.png)
> 
> Now would be a good time to get to know your team better, or you could just talk shop to prepare for the job. Just remember: it's a twelve-hour-long flight, it would be nice to be on good terms with everyone. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Edit:  
> So originally, Sully said that he would refuel in India. I took another look at the map and I realized that India is too out of the way for Sully to land there. I know I haven't explicitly said exactly where in the world they are, but they're somewhere in Europe. I know exactly what country/city but since this is a reader-insert story, I thought it'd be best to leave it vague.  
> And I realized I made a mistake in name-dropping districts in Yokohama. Originally, I said the Brodeur Gallery was in the Motomachi district, but upon further research, I realized that Motomachi is more of a shopping district and wouldn't likely to be home to a large art gallery. Instead, I changed it to the Yamate district, which looks to be more residential and more likely to be home to an art gallery. Perhaps the galley was originally a converted home, but I haven't really gotten that far yet. I also changed one line of dialogue to reflect this change.


	8. A Dent in the Hull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! This one's another long one. There were a couple of places I could've put choices, but I felt that they were too easy and would've ended up not really affecting the story or the character dynamic. Once we land in Japan, the story will pick right back up. 
> 
> And I really am loving the votes and the kudoses I'm getting. It's fantastic motivation for me to keep this going! 
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice D: Talk about the lead you just found.**  
_**A Dent in the Hull** _

You clear your throat before speaking, "So I found a lead on the painting."

"Did you?" Nadine sounds very interested.

You nod as you take out the material you printed out and showed it to the rest of the team. You explain everything you found the night before, in as much detail as possible.

"The Brodeur Galley," Sully says. "That name doesn't sound Asian in the slightest."

Sam looks at a picture of the gallery itself, "And this architecture, it looks like early twentieth century French design."

"This is the Yamate district, is it not?" Nadine asks. When you confirm it, she continues, "If I'm not mistaken that was a district meant for foreigners shortly after Japan opened their ports to foreign countries."

"Never thought I'd hear a historical anecdote coming out of your mouth," Sam is impressed, causing you to feel a slight pang of jealousy.

"Our client's family owns a house in the location," she explains. "He seemed very keen on explaining the history to us."

"Probably wanted to show off for you and Chloe," you surmise. "He doesn't get girls into bed by looks alone."

"Not that he has any," Nadine quips. "He probably bribes most of them to let him bed them."

The two of you laugh lightly at Marcel's expense. You are surprised to have a humorous exchange with the woman after the foul impression you had of her.

"Did you dig up anything about the gallery itself?" Sully asks.

"There's an article about it somewhere in the papers," you inform him. "I printed it just in case, I don't know if it has anything useful."

Sam goes through the papers and finds the article in question. It is an article about ten years old about the gallery's grand opening. It originally belonged to a French diplomat in the 1920s; it was in his family until his grandson turned it into an art gallery to showcase his family's art collection. It has ticket admissions for art viewings and holds various private events--mostly for charity.

As he looks through the article, he sees an event calendar for the gallery, "Hey, what was the name of the guy who owned that first painting?"

"Uematsu," Nadine informs him. "Why?"

"There's an event going on for him in two days."

"What!" She swipes the paper away to see what he was talking about.

According to the article, there is an event for the "Uematsu Foundation" that will be happening two days from now. There is no way that this can be a coincidence.

"You think Uematsu was the one that kidnapped Chloe?" You ask.

"More than likely," Nadine replies, standing up. "Our client must have tipped them off by asking for that painting. The must have been shadowing us ever since." All of a sudden, she punches the hull of the plane in pure frustration, "GODDAMN IT!"

"Whoa, calm down," Sam says knowing full well that it will be no use.

"'Calm down'?" She repeats incredulously, "We _knew_ the Yakuza were onto us! And I wasn't able to protect her!" She continues punching the hull of the plane as she says this.

Sam does not know what to say, and neither do you. Nadine is clearly blaming herself for what happened to Chloe, but is it not like you know either woman well enough to calm her down.

"Well punching a hole in my goddamn plane isn't going to do anything either!" Sully finally shouts at her. When she stops, he continues, "Now, Chloe isn't some helpless girl, she can take care of herself. We need to do our part so that she doesn't get killed by this Uematsu guy. Throwing a tantrum won't get us anywhere."

"I was not throwing a tantrum," she muttered quietly.

"That dent in the hull says otherwise," Sam quips.

Nadine looks at her handiwork and gives a heavy sigh, "I'm sorry." She sits down in a seat on the hull in front of you instead of returning to her original seat.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk shop right now," you say after a long silence. You put the papers away for now and take out a book to read.

You finish reading the book in about three hours; nothing happens in that time except for Sam occasionally walking up and down the plane's corridor, and Sully switching the plane to autopilot for a moment to stretch his legs as well. Nadine does not even get up, she simply sits in her seat, only taking a book out to read just after you finish the book.

You sigh heavily, which does not go unnoticed by Sam, "Don't tell me that was your _only_ book."

"No," you reply. "But I didn't bring many others."

"I told you it's going to be a twelve-hour flight," he reminds you.

"And we're not refueling for another three hours," Sully adds.

You give another sigh, you were hoping that some of your time would be occupied by talking with everyone else, but with Nadine's outburst, it became too awkward to talk. You were afraid to talk to Sam around her, you want to come off as professional as possible to her, especially after the first impression she gave. And you also did not want her to go off again.

This did not stop Sam from talking to you though, "So what are you looking forward to doing in Japan?"

"Besides our job?" You ask.

"Besides our job," he repeats, slightly irritated.

It is clear that he does not want to talk about the job at the moment; he wants to talk about _you_. This makes your heart flutter, but you are afraid of alienating Nadine. Still, it is better than remaining silent.

"I'm actually looking forward to bathing in an onsen," you explain.

"Aren't those hot springs?" Sully wonders.

"Yeah, but some hotels have private ones you can bathe in," you go on. "They're really nice. I've been to a public one, it was mixed gender so…that was an experience."

"'Mixed gender'? They have those?" Sam asked, shocked.

You nod, "Some of them require bathing suits…the one I went to didn't."

You hear Sully chuckle while Sam's mouth is agape. You can only imagine what is going through his mind right now. Considering the context, you would not be surprised if his train of thought led him to inappropriate thoughts.

"So…how was it?" He finally asks.

"Everyone was well-behaved if that was what you're thinking!" You berate him, "The Japanese are very respectful when it comes to stuff like that. Even the dirty old men kept to themselves."

Sully begins laughing, "But you knew they were dirty old men!"

"You should've seen the way they looked at the young women!" You laugh alongside him, "They were probably looking at me the same way but they made sure I never caught them looking at me." When your laughing subsides, you continue, "But they didn't do anything inappropriate." You give Sam a pointed look, "And none of them were having sex."

"I wasn't going to ask that," he simply says, not giving away his true intentions. "But I've heard stories about bathhouses in other countries."

"They regulate stuff like that," you explain. "There's tons of onsens throughout Japan, if one isn't up to code then people go to the next one."

"He's talking about communal bathhouses," Nadine suddenly speaks up. "Those are different than onsens."

"How so?" Sam asks, intrigued by the fact that the other woman spoke up.

"Like Victor said, onsens are hot springs, you aren't actually supposed to bathe in the water," she informs them. "You're supposed to rinse and wash yourself thoroughly before getting into the water. What you're thinking of are communal bathhouses, where almost none of them have mixed gender."

"There are bathhouses that offer thermal bathes in other countries," you tell her. "There was a nice one Arab-themed one in Seville I went to while I was in college." You pause to think for a moment, "Come to think of it, it was more of a spa than a bathhouse."

"Yes, I believe those require you to wear swimsuits," she goes on. "I don't suppose you've been to an outdoor onsen."

"I never left Kyoto, so no," you shrug. Then a thought comes to mind, "Have you been to one?"

"No," she admits. "Chloe and I were planning on going to one after the job."

You understand, "I wanted to go to an outdoor one on my first trip there, but they told me that I would have to go all the way up to Hokkaido since there's a couple of natural ones over there."

She nods, "Because of all the seismic activity there."

"Are any of them active?" Sam wonders, somewhat worried.

"A few of them I believe," she explains. "But none have erupted in well over a hundred years. So I suppose it's due for an eruption sometime soon."

You know that she is simply messing with Sam. He is not amused in the slightest.

The four of you go on to talk up until what is pretty much the halfway point of the trip. You notice Sam trying to tread his ground carefully when it comes to talking to Nadine. It is clear that she does not like him much, but you wonder how that came to be. You also wonder if he will actually tell you. When you make an off comment about seeing Japanese snow monkeys in Hokkaido, she corrects you.

"Actually, macaques don't live that far north," she says, referring to them by their "correct" name. "They only live as far north as the tip of Honshu."

You have to think for a moment, "Isn't that just south of Hokkaido? Why don't any live on Hokkaido?"

"They aren't exclusive to cold weather," she informs you. "They mostly live in forests due to the fact that they mostly eat greens and insects."

"Oh," is all you can say. "They're call snow monkeys, I thought they preferred cold weather."

"They are the most northern-living primate in the world," she adds. "No other type of primate lives in colder environments."

You are genuinely intrigued. You wonder if Nadine is some sort of animal expert.

Finally, you hear Sully request landing clearance. At first, they are speaking a language that you cannot identify, but eventually an English-speaking person starts speaking over the radio. Sully is given landing clearance and he begins to land.

When he finishes landing, everyone is eager to set foot on land for the first time in six hours. Jetlag seems to set in as it is roughly the early evening here and your body is adjusted to the time zone you left, thinking that it's midafternoon. Sully goes to try and talk to someone to get his plane refueled. Nadine goes onto her phone to presumably talk to Marcel while Sam smokes a cigarette near the plane. You stay near him since he is the only one who is not busy. The airport itself looks a bit on the shady side, with paint peeling off the sides of the hangars, and various cargo planes carrying suspicious goods. You wonder if Sully landed here because he has a contact here.

You are about to say something when your stomach audibly growls. You hope that Sam did not hear that, but your hopes are dashed relatively quickly.

"You hungry?" He asks casually.

"Yeah," you confess. "You think we can get something to eat while we're here?"

"We should," he says. "It's another six hours to Japan. Not sure if Nadine would wanna eat."

"She's probably hungry too," you reason.

He shrugs, "Yeah, but with that event coming up, we won't have much time to relax."

He is right; by the time you reach Japan, it will be early the next morning. You will have to spend that day and the next getting ready for the event, planning and preparing as much as you can. In fact, you still have not figured out if you are going to steal the scroll or not. Art heists take weeks to set up, with days being dedicated to casing the place, learning the ins and outs of the security system, training and securing the forgery. As of this moment, all you know is that some sort of Yakuza figurehead is holding an event at the gallery, presumably looking for the same painting you were. What you cannot wrap your head around is "why". Surely, they could have sent their own people in to steal the painting for themselves, or buy it outright. Surely, the owner of the gallery would have been "persuaded" by a Yakuza thug.

Then, Sully returns, "Well I'm getting our fuel, but I don't exactly trust these clowns with my plane."

"Well we have to eat," Sam tells him. "This one's starving."

"I'm not--" you are cut off by the sound of your stomach rumbling.

"You see?" He points out.

"Alright, I'll tell you what, I'll go into town to get us something," he offers.

"You have currency for this country?" You wonder.

"I'll manage," he assures you. "You wanna come with? I could use the company."

"And leave me here with her? Alone?" Sam questions indignantly.

"Think of it as bonding time," Sully taunts. "Besides, do you really want her to make another assumption about you sleeping with your personal assistant?"

Sam stumbles over his words before continuing, "I'd prefer that than having to deal with her by myself!"

Sully sighs as he realizes that he is not getting anywhere with him, "Fortunately, it's not your decision to make." He turns to you, "So how about it?"

Sam seems really distressed at the prospect of being alone with Nadine, making you curious about their relationship. Part of you is actually curious as to what will happen if the two are alone together. On the other hand, you could suggest Nadine go with Sully, allowing you to spend more time alone with Sam, but is that really a good idea?

Do you go with Sully, or suggest Nadine?

A. Go with Sully.  
B. Suggest Nadine go with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/lYs9S0j.png](https://i.imgur.com/lYs9S0j.png)  
>  You may think that this choice bubbles down to "spend time with Sam" or "don't spend time with Sam", but it's more than that. So far, the reader hasn't seized any opportunity to get to know Sully, hear one of his stories, or maybe get some helpful advice. On the other hand, is it really a good idea to leave Sam alone with Nadine?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	9. "We'll Be Back Before You Know It"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating Monday-to-Thursday on the same week is much easier since I work Friday-Monday. Anyway, this chapter kinda wrote itself. I was thinking it was going one way but it went a different (but much better) way. **But I think I'm going to stop putting hints in the ending notes.** I feel like I'm manipulating your votes by doing that and if I do that, I might as well write this on my own, am I right? I'll still drop hints if there's an extreme choice that has serious circumstances. 
> 
> Thanks for all the support! Enjoy!
> 
> Oh, if you haven't already, read the ending note at the very bottom of the screen, it's something I'd really like feedback on.

Out and About  
**Choice A: Go With Sully.**  
_**"We'll Be Back Before You Know It"** _

You have to think for a moment, but you finally decide, "I'll go with you." Sam let out a heavy sigh, causing you to comfort him, "Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it."

"Just hurry back," is all he says.

You follow Sully as he talks to a man in English. The man gives him a set of keys and some currency before heading off in another direction.

"A favor I called in," he tells you when you ask about the interaction. "His plane broke down in the middle of a smuggling run and asked me to complete it. He got paid in advance so he just gave me an IOU."

You are surprised, "And he actually honored it?"

He chuckles, "That's the secret to success in this line of business: you have to deal with people you can trust."

"I can only count the number of people I can trust on one hand," you say.

"Well, what I mean is _conditional_ trust," he elaborates. "This guy, I can trust to keep his word, but in a firefight, I'm convinced he would save his own skin before looking out for mine."

You understand what he means, but your point still stands, "I don't really trust anyone I work with, and because of that, I've only been screwed over once and only by incompetence."

"I've been doing this longer than you sweetheart," he reminds you. "Believe me, you need connections. Hell, if you had connections of your own, that asshole who screwed you over never would have did so much damage to your reputation."

You cannot dispute his point.

The two of you walk out of the hangar where a couple of different cars are parked, creating a makeshift parking lot. Sully hits a button on the remote attached to the keys and an older-looking car close by beeps. The two of you climb inside with you taking the passenger's seat.

"There should be a bazaar close by," Sully says as he puts the keys in the ignition. "Hopefully they're still open."

"What country are we in anyway?" You finally ask.

"Turkmenistan," he replies. "The closest city is Türkmenabat." You do not know where either of those places are in the world. For a moment, you think that he means Turkey, but he quickly corrects you. "Turkey is back east, across the Caspian Sea. No, Turkmenistan used to be part of the Soviet Union, along with countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan."

You were only a child when the Soviet Union dissolved, so all you knew when that happened was that a lot more countries popped up surrounding Russia. It only confused you while you were in school.

So you decide to drop the subject, "So how much food can we get with the money we have?"

"I got a good chunk of change, so probably a lot," he tells you. "I might just have enough to bring back a few souvenirs."

"Souvenirs for who?" You wonder.

"The one person I have in mind is Nate--Sam's brother, if he told you about him."

You nod, "I knew you were partners with a 'Nathan Drake' and it seemed weird that now you were partners with a 'Samuel Drake'. So of course I asked."

"Really," Sully is surprised. "He didn't tell you on his own, did he?"

"I kinda…forced it out of him," you admit. "I was so frustrated that he kept mentioning him, but never liked me asking about him."

He can only nod, "Yeah, I've noticed that about him ever since he got out of prison. Shortly after he got back in touch with Nate, we ended up going on a treasure hunt that took us to Madagascar. When Nate was out scouting the area, he would always try and make conversation with me--he never really liked me before, so this had definitely been a step up. Of course, when we asked him about his time in prison, he would always give a sort of vague answer, and then try and change the subject. I stopped asking when he tried to pass off a stupid pirate joke rather than continue."

"So what was he like before prison?" You wonder, "How long have you known him for?"

"I've known Sam almost as long as I've known Nate," he explains. "I met Nate when he was a teenager running around the streets of Columbia. He managed to interfere with a job I was working--to make a long story short, I saw potential in him and I took him in."

As interesting as it is to hear about Sam's brother, you are more interested in the man himself, "And Sam?"

"I'm getting there," he assures you. "Anyway, after a few months of working with me, Nate ends up in a Peruvian prison. Now, mind you, I wasn't as careful with my money back then as I am now, so I had to scrape together something to get him out. One day, as I'm doing this, this kid, no older than twenty, breaks into the place I'm staying at, asking for his brother. I'm telling him 'I have no idea what you're talking about.' Of course, he doesn't believe me and ends up trying to strongarm me into talking--little did he know that he was up against a former squid.

"So I subdue him, and I get him to tell me who he is. It turns out, his name was 'Samuel Drake' and he heard that his younger brother went off with me while he was locked up in Columbia. And he goes off, telling me that he had no right taking Nate and getting him involved in illegal activity. I turn around and I tell him that maybe if he was actually there for his brother, he wouldn't have gotten involved with someone like me."

And you thought your first impression of Nadine was bad. Now, it seems like Sam and Sully get along just fine, so you wonder if the relationship improved after that.

"No it did not," he answers. "Back then, I took Nate in because I thought he needed a better role model than Sam. Whenever Nate wasn't with Sam, he was with me, and Sam felt like he was being replaced." He lets out a sigh, "If I knew then, what would happen to him, I probably would have cut him a little more slack."

After hearing all this, you feel sympathy toward Sam. Sure, you cannot not see the bigger picture, but it is apparent that he has a lot of baggage regarding his past and his brother. You finally understand why he does not want to talk about it, he is trying to put it behind him. Or, is he trying to ignore it?

You recall seeing him pour alcohol into his coffee a few days prior; you know from experience that most people drink alcohol to run away from their problems. Is he moving on, or is he running away?

These are questions for another time, for now you are curious about Sam and Sully's relationship.

"So what made him want to work with you?"

He pauses for a moment, "You know, I've never asked him. Maybe during that last job--the same one that took us to Madagascar--I finally earned his trust, or maybe he didn't have a reason to hate me anymore. What I do know is that he's someone I can depend on."

You feel like there is a huge gap in that story, but it can only be filled by Sam himself. Whether he will tell you or not, you do not know, but for now, you let the matter rest.

The trip to the bazaar is not long at all. Almost immediately after your conversation, the bazaar comes into sight. Sully parks the car alongside other cars nearby, and the two of you exit. You are surprised at how big the bazaar is, since it appears to be situated in the middle of nowhere.

"There are other small towns nearby," Sully explains when you comment on it. "This is a good marketplace for those towns."

You are impressed by his knowledge, "So you come here often?"

"In recent years, yeah," he says. "Come, on, let's go find some food."

The two of you make your way through the bazaar in search for a food stall. You catch glimpses at the other stalls but you do not stop to look since you are pressed for time. After a while, you find a group of food stalls in the center, surrounded by tables.

While, you are making your way over there, someone grabs your wrist, causing you to shout, and turn around, yanking your arm back. The perpetrator is a man holding a beautiful blue scarf. You cannot understand what he is saying, and you say as much, but he does not understand you either.

Sully comes between the two of you and says something like, "Siz-ing-lis-che-gap-ley-ahr-ing-izmi?" Which you cannot understand at all.

The man, however understands, "Oh, my sorrys." It is immediately made apparent that his English is awful, "I see beauty lady, I give her beauty scarf." He holds out the scarf for you, "Beauty scarf for beauty lady, _yigrimi menat_ , but I give for _on manat_."

Sully is about to tell him no, but he sees you admiring the scarf, "Do you want it?"

Do you?

You came to this marketplace for a specific reason, and you are afraid of getting sidetracked. Then again, Sully did say that he had enough money for souvenirs. You always liked getting clothes from other countries.

Do you want the scarf?

A. Yes  
B. No

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/Zc69waz.png](https://i.imgur.com/Zc69waz.png)
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. "What A Pretty Scarf"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go a Thursday update. I'm going to try for another Monday update and hopefully have a choice that's good enough to wait a whole week. In case you can't tell: I _really_ want to get to Japan already. 
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Yes**  
_**"What a Pretty Scarf"** _

"Yes," you decide.

Sully takes out the wad of currency that he was given by his contact earlier and gives the man some of it. After ensuring that it is legit he moves to give you the scarf. You stop him when you realize that he wants to put it in your hair. He says something about your hair being beautiful and attempts to put it on for you. It takes Sully stepping in for him to stop.

You tie the scarf around your neck and continue onto the food stalls. It looks as though the food they have is the last of the day, so you figure you might as well get as much of it as you can. The food itself is very similar to what you would find in Central Asian countries, such as pilaf (rice cooked in broth), manti (a type of dumpling) and even shurpa (meat and vegetable stew).

Sully, however, is more intent on buying food that will not make a mess in his plane. He opts for filled pies, like somsa and ishlykly and fried dumplings. He pretty much buys out the stall selling these foods, in order to keep your whole team fed until you reach Japan.

"What a pretty scarf," you hear a heavily accented female voice from behind you. You turn around and see an older woman carrying a jewelry box. "Surely you would want some nice jewels to match, no?" Her English is much better than the man's.

She opens the box for you to admire what is inside. You are looking at the jewelry inside as you realize the reason why she is showing these to you is because you succumbed to the sales pitch of the man before.

"I'm sorry, I have enough jewels," you tell the woman, trying to get her to go away.

"Perhaps something for your husband," she offers, referring to Sully. "I sell many antiques, perhaps he will be interested, no?"

She walks away before you can say anything. Instead, you warn Sully of the impending sales pitch.

"Yeah, I figured that would happen," he sighs. "Might as well she what she has. She might have something Nate would like."

The woman returns with another, older looking jewelry box, "These antiques were made by the Salyr tribe, very rare, very valuable; I give you good price."

While Sully is looking at her goods, you see other merchants getting some stuff together, in hopes to get a sale off the two of you. You grab the trays of food that he just bought in order to deter all of these salespeople. When he finally buys something, you tell him that the two of you need to be going.

"That's right," he agrees. He thanks the woman and takes some of the trays of food off your hands. "I don't normally succumb to these sales tactics," he explains. "But I thought I'd put up with it to get something for Nate. Plus, it helps that it's not actually my money."

"So you and Nate are close?" You ask.

"Oh yeah," he replies. "Nate and I consider each other family, I was his best man at his wedding. I was all he had when Sam 'died'."

You were confused, "You mean the thirteen year prison sentence?" You continue when he confirms this, "What do you mean he 'died'?"

"He wasn't supposed to be there in the first place," Sully informs you. "He and Nate teamed up with Rafe Adler to bribe their way into the prison in the first place. It was supposed to be in and out, but Rafe went and killed their contact in the prison and it all went downhill from there. Sam was shot trying to escape and the warden went out of his way to make it look like Sam was killed during the escape."

"Wow," was all you can say. All the misfortunes of Sam's life just keep piling on. You wish for something good in his life, for his sake.

The two of you return to the car, load the trays up in the back seat and head back to the airport. Upon arrival, Sully's contact is there to collect his keys and the remainder of the cash. He looks at the scarf around your neck, then back at Sully, before giving a heavy sigh and walking away. You surmise that he is not happy about his money being spent on frivolous things. It is lucky for him that you did not go overboard.

You and Sully return to the plane and see Sam and Nadine talking, you even see the woman laugh. You are relieved to see them getting along, but somehow, you feel jealous.

"Good to see you didn't try killing him," Sully tells Nadine.

"No," is all she says. "Are we going to eat lunch first?"

"I just need to get something in my system before I take off," he assures her.

All of the trays are packed into the plane. The four of you eat out of one of the trays before taking off. When you are ready to take off, you sit in your original seat and take out another one of your books. You are expecting Sam to sit in the co-pilot seat, but surprisingly, Nadine is the one to take it, while Sam sits in one she occupied earlier.

"You're not going to sit up front?" You ask.

"I wanted to sit back here with you," he replies.

You appreciate the gesture, but after everything you learned about him from Sully, you are unsure of what to say. Although, you are curious as to what he and Nadine were talking about earlier.

What do you say to him?

A. Nothing.  
B. Ask about him and Nadine.  
C. Tell him you know about his past.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/mXT8PX3.png](https://i.imgur.com/mXT8PX3.png)
> 
> Okay, the thing about this chapter is that I meant for getting the scarf to mean that Sully and the protagonist dawdle for a while, buying antiques and stuff. That obviously didn't pan out since I really don't wanna spend too much time in Turkmenistan. Getting the scarf will sorta play out later...maybe. Due to the nature of this fic, anything could happen, for example: right now it's SamxReader, but we might get a whole new group of people coming in and decide that they want to pursue Sully, or even Nadine instead. It would annoy me, especially since we're pretty far in developing this relationship, but I wouldn't have any choice but to obey the will of the voters. 
> 
> Anyway, two chapters back, I put up a poll on the fic's ending note about whether or not I should reveal the protagonist's name or not. [The general consensus was "No".](https://i.imgur.com/PUiOwKj.png) For those of you curious on the other hand, I am considering posting a third-person version of the fic on Fanfiction.net where the protagonist is more fleshed out, so keep an eye out for that. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	11. Not Jealous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, I was going to take a week with this one, but I just prefer putting week-long ones up on Monday, and the shorter ones on Thursday. That being said, I think I'd like to take a week for the next one. 
> 
> Thanks for supporting! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Ask about him and Nadine**  
_**Not Jealous** _

"So what were you and Nadine talking about?" You ask, seeing the woman glance back out of the corner of your eye.

"Oh, nothing serious," he assures you. "You know, small talk, trying to not piss her off."

You nod, unconvinced, which Sam quickly catches.

"You're not jealous, are you?" He teases.

Your face flushes red as you are caught off-guard by the question, "Jealous? Why? It's not like you're my boyfriend or anything."

"I could be," he winks.

"No," you react. "It's unprofessional."

You can only imagine the look on Sully's face during this. Why is Sam playing around like this?

"I dunno," Nadine speaks up. "There are some times where it's not completely unprofessional."

You are surprised to hear that from her. Of course, she always assumed that you and Sam had a thing for each other--you did first see her when you were returning from a "date" after all. But you got the notion that she did not approve of such behavior.

What _did_ she and Sam talk about earlier?

You are not going to get a straight answer out of him, but maybe, you might get one out of her.

Instead of continuing the conversation--if you could call it that--you stick your head in the book and begin reading. Everyone is quiet as takeoff procedures begin, in a few minutes you are all up in the air again, en route to Japan.

When you are in the air, Sam leans forward and whispers to you, "No really, are you jealous of Nadine? You don't have any reason to be."

"I'm not jealous," you whisper back.

It is the truth, for the most part. While it is true that you feel somewhat jealous when Sam and Nadine are talking--mostly because their relationship is unknown to you, are you are afraid of losing him to her--you never did consider yourself a jealous person. But what do you really have to be jealous about anyway? Like you said before, Sam is not your boyfriend.

"Because, to be honest," he continues. "I'd much rather have you than her."

Your face flushes red. Although he had been dropping hints to his attraction previously, he never did tell you outright that he likes you. Hearing him confirm it puts yourself at ease. He probably already knows you like him back, after all, your attraction was apparent when you first met him just four short days ago.

Four days.

You let that sink in.

 _Seven_ days ago, you were out of work, binging Netflix, eating microwave food and emptying your bank account with your last rent payment. You apply to one suspicious-looking job posting, now here you are, being whisked away to Japan, after making a pitstop in _Turkmenistan_ , a country you did not even know existed until now. It was all so sudden, you only just now have time to process it all. It is overwhelming, in a good way.

Then, you meet this man, who you seem to connect with more in _four days_ than some of your exes in _four months_. You got him to open up to you, a feat you could not achieve with a man you had previously spent a _year_ with. What makes Sam different?

Then, you realize, _the alcohol_. You had caught him with his proverbial pants down. Would he have opened up to you if you did not ask him if he were hungover that day? You wonder if you had said _anything else_ , would it change anything? Would you know so much about him? Would he be as interested in you as he is now?

The sound of fingers snapping brings you back to reality. You look to the source of the sound, Sam is looking at you curiously.

"You okay? You looked _really_ spaced out," he says to you, a bit concerned.

"I'm just processing everything that's happened so far," you tell him honestly. "When I get a job, it's planned for at least a month in advance."

"Oh, I gotcha," he understands. "Being whisked away to a foreign country on a moment's notice can be disorienting. But it's not always like this."

"It's fine," you assure him. "I'll take 'whisked away on a moment's notice' than sitting in my apartment, in the stupid rut I found myself in."

Satisfied, Sam lets you be. He takes out a book of his own and starts reading it, occasionally glancing back at you. You continue reading your own book. 

You think about the questions you were asking yourself earlier, and you decide that it does not matter what happens in the past. What matters is the here and now, looking backward does not do you any good. 

The next six hours pass by quicker than the first. You alternate between reading your book, making small talk, eating a bit of the food you just got (which thankfully still tasted good cold) and taking micro naps. You suppose Sully is getting tired when Nadine offers to pilot the plane some of the way while he gets some rest.

"No offense to you Nadine, but the last time someone flew my plane, he crashed it," he informs her. "This baby's too expensive for me to trust to someone else, even for a moment."

After giving several arguments, and Sully being too stubborn to budge, she just gave up.

Finally, you hear Sully requesting landing clearance. To your surprise, instead of hearing a Japanese voice, you hear a familiar-sounding Polish accent.

"You're coming in clear Mr. Sullivan, I have a runway set up just for you," Marcel's voice comes from the radio.

You assume that this is another small airport--most likely one with a better repute that Marcel himself was able to afford. That is one thing you can look forward to when working with the man--he always takes care of his people, as long as you can put up with his advances.

When the plane lands and taxis off the runway, everyone grabs their bags and starts exiting the plane. Sully decides to also take the one remaining tray of food you have in the plane. When you step off the plane, a man with a dirty blonde mop of hair with blue eyes comes to greet you with open arms.

" _Ohayougozaimasu!_ " Japanese sounds very weird when spoken in a Polish accent, "Welcome to Japan Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Drake!" Sully and Sam approach Marcel, "I have all of your accommodations set up for you in Yokohama and a car ready to take you there."

Nadine clears her throat and brings Marcel's attention to you, "Marcel, this is--"

He does not need an introduction he goes right up to you and hugs you as he greets you. The hug is not professional, nor is it welcome, so you do not return it, but he probably knows as much and did it anyway.

"It's been so long!" He declares, as he finally lets go, "Tell me, the rumors aren't true about you, are they?"

Rumors? He must mean the blacklisting for the botched job with the smudged painting. When you mention it, he has no idea what you're talking about. It turns out, your employer for that job had been saying something else about you.

"He said that you demanded more money and that you shot him!" Marcel informs you, "He has a limp and a cane and everything!"

You can only stare dumbfounded. Apparently, that employer went above and beyond to ensure you would not get hired again. Sully swears that he did not hear anything like that about you. At least now you know why

"Regardless, I never believed it," Marcel says. "Come, we will discuss everything in my car."

You expected some kind of limo to be waiting for you, instead, it was a six-seater minivan. When asked about it, the playboy made the obvious argument that a limo would draw unnecessary attention. The three of you place your bags in the trunk of the car and get into it, with Marcel taking the passenger seat, Sully and Nadine in the middle and you and Sam in the back.

"When Miss Ross told me about this 'art expert', I didn't expect it to be you," he tells you. "I am pleasantly surprised, and I will enjoy working with you again."

You nod, not wanting to verbally agree with him. You had worked with Marcel several times in the past, most of them being pleasant experiences--the one time it was not was a failed heist in Mexico which ended with you and two out of three of your partners in prison. He made up for by flying you and your one of your partners out when you were up for parole, with the other one being ineligible parole.

"So Marcel, what about the job?" Sully asks.

"Yes, yes, forgive me," he apologizes. "I was able to secure an invite to the event."

He explains that the invitation includes a "plus one", meaning that two of you would have to go in. Nadine suggests that you should go, which you and Marcel wholeheartedly agree, since you have to case the place anyway.

"Then who's coming with me?" You wonder, "You, Marcel?"

"No, no," he shakes his head. "It would be suspicious for me to go after my interaction with Uematsu. No, I believe it should be either Mr. Sullivan or Mr. Drake."

"I'd be willing to go," Sam volunteers as soon as he hears his name. He almost jumps at the chance, you wonder if it is because you are going.

Sully, on the other hand, makes a disapproving sound, "That's not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Your tattoos, Sam," he points out. "Tattoos in Japan are most commonly associated with the Yakuza."

Sam gives the older man an incredulous look, "But Victor, _I'm white_."

Marcel looks back at him and studies him. You can tell the American feels awkward about this.

"No, you won't do at all," he finally says. "I don't mean to offend Mr. Drake, but even if we were to clean you up--so to speak--your…rough appearance would attract too much attention."

You blink at the playboy, "Did you just call him ugly?"

Marcel is horrified at the accusation, "I--no! Not at all…it--!"

"--Because it kind of sounds like you did," you interrupt him. "Or at least you're thinking."

"I do not think Mr. Drake is ugly!" He almost shouts at you, "That is such a harsh word, I do not think you should use it to describe people with it." He finally composes himself, "What I mean to say is that this is an event attended by businessmen, and Mr. Drake gives off the impression of…for lack of a better phrase, a convict."

You cannot argue with him there, when you first saw him, Sam did look like a convict; his thirteen-year stint in prison most likely contributed to that.

"No, Mr. Sullivan seems better suited for this situation," Marcel decides. "He is a businessman after all."

"You know, you could have just led with that," Sam tells him, obviously annoyed. 

Embarrassed, the playboy shuts up and pulls out his phone. At this point, it is fair to say that Sam does not like Marcel at all.

You look out the window and see the sun rising over the horizon. You feel like you just pulled an all-nighter, with the sun rising and you having been up for twelve hours so far.

"Jet lag, right?" Sam says to you.

You nod and mumble out a response, feeling sleepy all of a sudden.

"Don't worry, there's time to rest before we get to work," Marcel assures you. "I can arrange for a car to pick you up at the hotel at one o'clock this afternoon."

The rest of the ride is uneventful. When you arrive at the hotel, Marcel goes with you to show you to your rooms. It turns out he has already checked in on the group's behalf, using his money to prevent questions from getting asked.

"I tried getting you all private rooms, but that would attract too much attention," he explains. When you arrive at the rooms, he hands the four of you keycards, "Women on the left, men on the right. The rooms are connected to each other, and they're prepaid already, so no room service and no minibar." Sam and Sully groan at the last statement, "When we get the katana, I will buy as many shots of sake as you want. I'll see you all in the afternoon."

"What a prick," Sam says when Marcel is out of earshot.

"'Tool' would be more accurate," you tell him. "But yeah, he doesn't get along with men that well."

"Probably explains when he sought out Chloe and I," Nadine guesses. "Still, he gives us what we need, and he's paying us well."

"Hey, I didn't notice him getting too 'friendly' with you," you realize.

"I saw to that after I gave him a black eye when we first met," she explains simply.

Your jaw drops, "It's that simple?! I should've done that a long time ago!" You hear Sam and Sully chuckle, which annoys you, "You might think it's funny but it's not! You don't know what it's like putting up with unwanted advances! It's annoying!"

"Then punch him in the face next time you see the guy!" Sam is all too happy to suggest. "I'll take pictures."

"If you don't shut it, then I'll give _you_ a black eye!" Nadine threatens furiously, which is enough to get him to stop.

You are too tired to put up with this. Although you knew the two men were not trying to make fun of you or anything, you still found their behavior, as well as Marcel's annoying. It is not as if the playboy, crossed any lines in his flirtations, but him fawning over you can get really annoying, especially since you have already shown your disinterest in him.

You open the door to the room and trudge inside. The first thing you do is collapse onto the closest bed. You hear Nadine follow behind you, but you do not hear the door slam behind her, instead you hear the door bounce off something.

"By the way," you hear Sully's voice. "My contact has information on Uematsu."

"Victor, it can't wait until later?" Sam asks.

"It's four in the afternoon _yesterday_ over there," he shoots back. "There's no better time than now."

"Set it up here," Nadine suggests. "Judging by the way this one collapsed, I doubt she'd be willing to go into your room."

You cannot argue, you are very tired.

You hear rustling of bags as well as the sounds of doors opening and closing. You doze off for a bit but you are stirred by Sam after a while. Sully has set up a video call on his laptop with his contact on the desk near the window. Nadine is sitting in an armchair nearby while Sam has elected to stand next to Sully. You move over to the other bed and sit down, giving you a halfway-decent view of the screen.

When the call starts you hear a woman's voice greet Sully, "Hey Sully, how's it going?"

"Elena?" Sam bends over to look into the laptop's camera, "You're Victor's contact?"

"Yeah," she says, as if it is obvious. "I _was_ a reporter after all, gathering information is part of my job--well now it's Nate's part now."

He seems confused, "Yeah, but I thought you guys were 'strictly legal' now--you know, especially now that you have a kid now."

At first, you were curious as to who Elena was to Sam, but it becomes obvious very quickly: she's Nathan's wife--Sam's sister-in-law.

"I don't see anything illegal about looking into the Yakuza," she reasons. "Besides, if there's any way I can do keep you guys from getting killed, I'm willing to help. And with these guys, you're going to need all the help you can get."

"It's that bad, huh?" Sully wonders.

"It's 'dismembering people with a katana' bad," she informs him. "The Uematsu family is part of the Sumiyoshi Union, starting with Kichirou Uematsu, after his father-in-law's 'accidental' death."

The way she says "accidental" helps draw you to the conclusion that Uematsu killed his father-in-law to gain power. It does not surprise you, higher-ups in the mafia tend to be ruthless--it is how they got there, after all.

"Kichirou retired about five years ago," Elena continues. "His sons took over for him, and they've definitely earned their depraved reputation. One of their first acts was to kidnap the daughter of a rival family and torture her. I'll spare you the gory details, but it was bad."

The way she is talking about the torture makes you glad that she is not going into detail. Then, there is something that you notice.

"Wait, sons?" You repeat, confused. "Isn't it usually one figurehead?"

"Usually yes, but this…is a unique situation," she says. "People recall Kichirou having two sons--a set of twins. But, there's apparently only one in charge, with the other nowhere to be found. Some people think that they've been passing themselves off as one person…but there's no real evidence of this."

The more you think about it, the less sense it makes. Why would a pair of twins pass themselves off as one person? If anything, it would be detrimental to them; if one twin is in an important meeting with someone, then that person runs into the other twin, who has no idea what they are talking about, it would make them look bad. No, what most likely happened was that one twin killed the other for control.

"Is there anything you can tell us about Minamoto Yoritomo?" Nadine asks, "Our client asked for a photocopy of a painting before they kidnapped Chloe."

You can hear the worry in Elena's voice, "Chloe's been kidnapped?"

"What!" You hear a man's voice, you can see him quickly come into the picture, "Sully, why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, I couldn't give Elena all the details since we were on a tight schedule," Sully explains.

"You haven't seen these pictures, this Uematsu guy's worse than Lazarević!" The man practically cries out.

"Lazarević was just as bad Nate," Elena reminds him.

You had already guessed that the man was Nathan Drake, but hearing his name confirmed it for you. But the way he is going on about Chloe and Uematsu worries you. Last time you talked about him, Nadine dented the hull of Sully's plane, you are worried that she might break something in the room. It does not help that you will be sharing a room with her.

Should you say something?

A. No.  
B. Yes--Divert the conversation to Minamoto Yoritomo.  
C. Yes--Ask for a proper introduction.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/4K8fjuZ.png](https://i.imgur.com/4K8fjuZ.png)
> 
> Were you expecting that cameo? I bet you weren't. I just thought it would be logical for Elena to be the one to do the digging. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	12. Katanas of the Uematsu Clan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...No I don't think I have anything to say at this point. 
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: Yes--Divert the conversation to Minamoto Yoritomo.  
_Katanas of the Uematsu Clan_**

Nadine had asked an interesting question about Minamoto Yoritomo, which was overshadowed by the revelation that Chloe was kidnapped.

You decide to draw attention back to that question, "So, what about Minamoto Yoritomo?" Elena does not hear you, so Sully repeats the question to her. She has no idea who you are talking about.

"He's the founder of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan," Sam explains. "We're looking for his katana. Jesus, Victor for someone who likes to talk you sure didn't tell them anything."

"Like I said, we were on a tight schedule," Sully tells him. "Between this, securing a refuel in Turkmenistan and takeoff clearance, I had my hands full."

"I couldn't find anything on Minamoto Yoritomo," Elena says. "But they do have a whole collection of antiques and paintings from the Kamakura period."

"Like what?" Nadine asked.

You can hear her sifting through papers before she speaks again, "There's paintings of Yoritomo himself, several katanas belonging to other significant families…there's even one allegedly belonging to Houjou Tokimasa."

"The first regent of the Kamakura shogunate?!" You blurt out.

"That's the one," she confirms.

"So what, they're historians of the Kamakura shogunate?" Sam questions.

"More like fanatics," Nate corrects him. "You have no idea how far they were willing to go to get these things, Sam."

"So what you're saying is…Chloe might already be dead," Nadine says grimly.

There is a dark silence among the group as you all consider the possibility that Uematsu might have already killed Chloe.

"No, no," Nate finally speaks up. "I _know_ Chloe, she wouldn't just lay down and die like that. She's probably found some way of keeping herself alive."

He is not saying that just to lighten the mood. You can tell in his voice that he truly believes what he is saying. It is then you realize how close these people are to each other; it makes you feel like an outsider.

"Anything else we should know about Uematsu?" Sully asks.

"No, I pretty much covered everything," Elena tells him. "I'll email you all my files just in case."

"Thanks Elena."

 "No problem guys, stay safe, okay?"

With that, the call is ended. You trudge back over to the other bed, lay down and fall asleep again within minutes. You hear bits and pieces of conversation from the others, but you are too tired to piece it all together.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing disturbs you from your slumber. You throw the blanket over your head as a defensive response. When the ringing stops, you hear Nadine's voice. After a few words from her, you hear her hang up the phone.

"That was Marcel," she says to you. "He'll be here in an hour, we better get ready."

You peek your head out from under the covers to look at you. That is when you realize that you do not remember going under the covers before falling asleep.

"Sam tucked you in," Nadine informs you when you comment on it. "You were out like a light. How much sleep did you get last night?"

You have to think; you had been up pretty late when you were looking into the painting. Your excitement must have overtaken your fatigue that night. That excitement was dampened when Nadine made a dent in Sully's plane.

No.

It was not just Nadine, it was the harshness of reality setting in. In the past, the jobs were done so well that the possibility of failure or death for you or any of your partners never occurred to you--not even after Mexico. This situation is dire--someone's life is on the line--you need to remember that.

"You can shower first," Nadine offers as she sits up in her bed.

"You can go first if you want to," you suggest.

"No, I insist," she counters. "I'm afraid you'll fall back asleep while I'm in there."

You have to admit that is possible, considering you are still lying down. You sit up and do your best to wake yourself up. While you are slowly making your way out of bed, you see Nadine already up and exercising. You find thinking you should be more like that, up and out of bed within five minutes.

As you finally stand up, you find yourself asking, "Did Sam really tuck me in?"

"Yes," she replies without missing a beat. "He thought you'd be uncomfortable sleeping on top of the covers. He even asked me to take your shoes off."

"He didn't have to do that," you say.

"That's what I told him, but he was insistent upon it." Then, she paused before adding, "He thinks very highly of you."

You feel your cheeks flush as you hear this, "What makes you say that?"

"We happened to be talking about you back in the Middle East," she says.

You recall the comment she made after you said that Sam being your boyfriend is unprofessional; does Nadine _approve_ of you and Sam? When you first met, her tone when she accused Sam of "thinking with his dick" made her seem like a person who did not approve of such things. The fact that she might approve and may even encourage your relationship, changes your mind about her.

"Then again," she continues. "He also thinks highly about Chloe and he thinks… _something_ of me."

The only thing you can reply with is, "Why?"

She looks to you and immediately knows what you mean, "My reasons are my own."

Convinced you will not get anything else out of her, you grab your one change of clothes from your bag and go to the shower. Feeling the water splash on your skin helps wake you up. The shower reminds that you want to visit an onsen, and you consider asking the front desk if they have one.

Then you realize that the hotel is a western-inspired one, they probably do not have one.

You groan to yourself; leave it to Marcel to book a hotel without an onsen. It is probably just as well, you might not even have time to bathe in one anyway until after the event.

Then you ask yourself: what is after the event? You were just informed about exactly how ruthless Uematsu is. Will the priority be the katana, or rescuing Chloe? You are not even sure if the two objectives are mutually exclusive or not.

Not wanting to waste too much time, you finish bathing and get dressed. When you leave the bathroom, Nadine goes in wordlessly. You stuff your dirty clothes back into your bag, with the exception of your scarf which you drape around your neck. You take out one of your books to read while you wait for Nadine when you hear a knock at the conjoining door. You answer it and you see that it is Sam, strangely dressed in the same clothes he wore earlier.

"You didn't shower yet?" You ask.

"Yeah, I just don't have another change of clothes," he answers. When you do nothing but blink at him, he continues, "I'd rather carry more practical items around. Besides, how many other changes of clothes did you pack?"

"Just this one," you admit.

He nods, "Anyway, I just wanted to know if you slept all right."

"Yeah, as Nadine put it, I was out like a light," you tell him. Then, you giggle, "I guess you should know, you _did_ tuck me in after all."

"Oh, you know about that?" He is actually blushing, you think it looks cute. "I asked Nadine to do some of the more delicate work, like take off your shoes."

Perhaps Sam is embarrassed because his actions would come off as creepy to some people. But you did not mind, it is not like he is a total stranger after all. You cannot help but think back to Nadine's words, about how he thinks very highly of you. There is no doubt in your mind: Sam feels the same way about you as you do about him. However, you think back to Sully's warnings about Sam, how he is not a very "accessible" person, which makes you wonder if you should pursue a relationship after all. At this point, you consider yourself Sam and Sully's partner, so that is no longer an excuse for you. Still, you should not be focused on your love life, someone's life is at stake.

But for now, Sam is here, so what do you talk about?

A. Nate and Elena.  
B. Chloe.  
C. The Event.  
D. Him and Nadine.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/Y2a5zVZ.png](https://i.imgur.com/Y2a5zVZ.png)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, hint this time because I started writing the beginning to all of these and the choices are really more of a broad topic to talk about. It's not about the choice in particular, but topics revolving around the choice, like how the characters feel and what the protagonist already knows.
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry to be vague but I really don't want to give examples, since I'm afraid I'll manipulate the choices by doing that.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	13. "You don't have to lie to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant for this to go another way...honest...but I just couldn't...I'll explain in the end notes. 
> 
> Thanks for voting! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: The Event.**  
**_"You don't have to lie to me."_**

"So, what do you think the event's going to be like?" You ask.

"How should I know?" His response is curt. He is probably still annoyed about Marcel's rejection.

"Well, you're probably going to be helping surveillance, or maybe being backup," you tell him, trying to cheer him up. "Behind the scenes is just as important as being in the action."

He seems to ignore your comments, "It's bullshit anyway, Victor would stand out just as much as I would in Japan anyway."

The truth is, you viewed Sully as the better candidate for the job. He is a charismatic businessman, and more likely to mingle well with the other guests at this event. Plus, considering the history of the Brodeur gallery, the other guests may be foreigners as well. Surely, Japanese businessmen know the Uematsu name well enough to stay as far away from the event as possible. But it is better not to tell him any of this anyway, it would not please him in the slightest.

Instead, your eyes moved to the tattoo on his neck--the one Sully said would make him stand out. They seemed to be low enough on his neck to cover up with a collared shirt, like Sam himself suggested. Still, it is a very conspicuous place to put a tattoo; that and the bland blue ink told you that this was a prison tattoo.

In your experience, no one gets tattoos for no reason. They get one for symbolism, as a memento for a deceased loved one… _maybe_ if they were drunk one night and got it on a whim. But you can tell he got this one for a reason.

Birds in general symbolize freedom, which Sam no doubt desired during his unearned prison sentence. Being forced away from his only family, his life's calling, doing nothing but waste away chain smoking for thirteen years, it must have taken a toll on him, a lesser man would be crushed.

"You've already figured out what it means, haven't you?" He asks after a while.

You nod as you touch the tattoo, "It must have been hard, being locked up for so long…"

"It wasn't so bad," you can tell it is an obvious lie. "I picked up a few new tricks, I got a guard smuggling books in for me for a while--"

"Sam," you stop him. "You don't have to lie to me."

He gives you a look that you cannot quite figure out, but you realize that he is not quite willing to open up to you--at least not willingly. You feel like, all this time, you have been forcing answers out of him and going behind his back to learn about his past.

No, it is not right.

If you want to learn more about Sam, he should be the one to open up, not for you to ask anyone else or try and force it out of him.

"Forget I said anything," you mutter, backing away from him.

You can feel the awkwardness fill up the room. You wish you have something else to say.

Then, Sam finally speaks up, "You--ah, think it'd be a problem out in public?" He rubs his neck, signifying referring to his tattoos.

You shrug, "We're foreigners, tattoos or not, they won't like us out in public anyway."

"There's a lot of countries that don't like foreigners," he replies.

You have to agree, "I had a classmate who was an exchange student back in college, she was there for language studies. She went to a fast food place with some other exchange students, and the workers there just ignored them, like they weren't even there."

He can only nod, "Yeah, can't say I've never experienced that."

"But tourist-friendly spots should be okay," you say. "But if we do visit an onsen, you have to cover up that tattoo."

"Do I have to cover all of them?" He asks.

"All of--? How many tattoos do you have?" You wonder.

"Maybe you'd like to find out sometime," Sam winks at you.

"Not in the near future," you decline with some regret. "But, yeah, you have to cover up all your tattoos."

He sighs, "I can't lie, that kind of sucks, I like my tattoos."

"They are small, right?" You ask, "Then it should be easy to cover up."

He chuckles as he gives you a flirtatious look, "Well, I'm not going to say. You'll have to find out for yourself."

His taunting is beginning to annoy you. As much as you want to "take him up in his offer", you have more important things to worry about.

You are given reprieve when Nadine emerges from the bathroom, "I only caught half that conversation, but we should be focusing on the job rather than the onsen."

"Good morning to you too," Sam greets her. "I know we have to focus on saving Chloe, but it wouldn't hurt to unwind a little."

She glares daggers at him, "We can 'unwind' when we know for a fact that Chloe is safe." If looks could kill, she definitely would have put him on life support.

"Okay, okay," he backs off. "So what's the plan when Mr. Moneybags comes around?"

"He's probably going to want to take Sully and I clothes shopping for the event," you guess. "The guy _loves_ seeing women model dresses, I wouldn't be surprised if he played with Barbie dolls as a kid."

"Pervert," Nadine quips.

"It's not actually in a sleazy type of way," you try defending Marcel. "It's more like he's checking out the dresses, you know, like fashion designers."

"Aren't most male fashion designers gay?" Sam wonders. "I mean, that's more of a stereotype but--"

"Of course he's not gay," Nadine rolls his eyes. "He's constantly sleeping with women, flirting with women, trying to impress women--"

"Actually," you stop her. "That…kinda sounds like what a man in the closet would do." Both Sam and Nadine gives you this incredulous look, which makes you backpedal, "I mean, I'm not a psychologist or anything so what do I know?"

The two seem to dismiss your statement, mostly because they do not seem to care either way. Still, you had known Marcel for years at this point, you have to wonder: Is he gay?

The subject is dropped when Sully enters the room, "What are we talking about here?"

"Nothing important," Nadine tells him. "Marcel will be here soon."

"Yeah," he says. "He's sending a car for you and Sam to meet with his tech-guy, Murky Darrow."

"That can't be his real name," you frown.

"Of course not," he assures you. "I know him, he has good merchandise, but it all costs an arm and a leg."

"It's not like Marcel can't afford it," you point out.

He nods in agreement, "And Marcel will be taking us to pick out our outfits and get measured to fit in them."

It seems you have guessed correctly; you will be going clothes shopping with Marcel.

"By the way," Sully adds. "This room was paid up for one night, we can't leave anything here…well maybe except for that tray of food that's probably bad by now."

You had forgotten all about that. It is just as well it's gone bad, Marcel would most likely treat the group to some lunch when he arrives. After the awkward conversation in the car, earlier that morning, you wonder if lunch if a good idea at all.

It is not long before the four of you are called downstairs. Outside the hotel, Marcel is waiting with two smaller cars than the minivan he had that morning.

"I hope you all slept well," he greets you. "Miss Ross and Mr. Drake will take the back car, while you and Mr. Sullivan will come with me in the front car."

"I'll see you later," you tell Sam, who says his own farewells to you. He is not objecting to being stuck with Nadine again, you wonder why.

Sully opens the door for you and you climb in the backseat of the car, with him following. Marcel gets into the passenger's seat and speaks to the driver in Japanese.

"Are you two hungry? We can get lunch before we start," he says.

You slept on a full stomach, so you are not that hungry, but still, it is always good to eat right after you get up.

"I know a high class restaurant we can go to," Marcel continues. "Or we can just have something light at a café not far from the Motomachi district."

"Wait, what about Sam and Nadine?" You wonder, "Why didn't you offer them?"

"They will be meeting Mr. Darrow at my family's home in Yamate," he explains. "My sister will be there to cater to them. So, would you like to go to the restaurant, or a café?"

Sully tells him that he could go either, so the decision is up to you.

Will you dine in the restaurant or a café?

A. Restaurant  
B. Café

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/SJVyZVl.png](https://i.imgur.com/SJVyZVl.png)  
>  So that moment with the tattoo was supposed to be something more...but the way the story is going...it didn't make sense. Sam doesn't quite trust the protagonist yet. So far, she's been trying to get him to open up, but she hasn't been opening up to him either. So if you guys wanna keep this SamxReader train going, you might wanna keep this in mind going forward. [And here's a big hint about this that some people might not want to read, so I'll just leave it in this link.](https://i.imgur.com/UkPG0F0.png)
> 
> Oh, and that anecdote about the exchange student, that was based off one I heard from my Spanish teacher in community college when she and a couple of other students went to Spain for a foreign exchange trip. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	14. All About the Scarf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's Monday somewhere in the world. (I just wanted to get this chapter out ASAP)
> 
> Also a title I was considering was "Is It Too Late for the Restaurant?" while the Restaurant choice would've been "Is It Too Late for the Café?" but I didn't want this chapter to come off as a bad choice. 
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B. Café**  
_**All About the Scarf** _

You shrug, "I'm not really in the mood for any fancy dining."

"Okay, café it is," Marcel says. He turns to speak to the driver, once again in Japanese, then back to you, "Say, I've been meaning to ask you, did you get that scarf in the middle east?"

"Yeah," you reply, toying with the scarf. Truth be told, you had almost forgotten about it until now.

"May I see it?"

You do not see why not so you untie it and pass it over to him. He is inspecting the scarf for a while. You are getting impatient. You audibly clear your throat to get his attention again.

"Ah, sorry," he passes the scarf back. "It is very nice, I think I might be able to get a dress to match it."

You tie the scarf back on the neck, "Are you sure? I feel like the style might clash with Japanese fashion."

"The scarf can be an accent, it won't clash at all," he assures you. "Besides, I'm thinking of a western-style dress for you--something that does not look like you bought the day before."

He has a point. The goal is to attract as little attention as possible. An obvious foreigner in a Japanese dress would tip Uematsu off.

"It sounds like you've thought this through," Sully points out. "It's almost unlike you Marcel."

You can see a pang of guilt hit Marcel, "I thought I should get more involved…after all, it's my fault that Miss Frazer got taken in the first place."

You always felt that Marcel blamed himself too much for anything that goes wrong in a job--after all, he barely does anything at all, let alone anything that would warrant blame. Although asking for a photocopy of a painting that would lead to a priceless artifact from a yakuza figurehead was definitely a bad play on his end. 

When you arrive at the café, Marcel and the driver have an exchange that you cannot understand. When you and Sully get out of the car, you try to look for the café but it is nowhere to be seen.

"This way," the playboy leads the two of you down an alley and up a flight of stairs.

You hope he is not leading you to some shady, criminal hangout. You hate places like those, despite needing to go to one every so often for a job.

Marcel rings a buzzer and the door opens to a woman in what seems to be a maid uniform, she greets him and invites the three of you inside. At first you think the woman wearing the uniform was a fluke, but when you get inside, you realize exactly what kind of place this is.

A maid café.

Marcel has brought you and Sully to a maid café.

You have only heard about these, but have never been to one. You always assumed it was a place for men who had maid fetishes to go and ogle the poor waitresses; you never pegged Marcel to be one of those men. Sure, he is a playboy, but he can easily hire a prostitute and a maid costume to roleplay in--not go to one of these places.

"So, you're one of _those_ guys," Sully says, having the same thing on his mind.

"No, no!" He denies, "I come here with my brother-in-law all the time! It has good atmosphere and wonderful service."

You have to agree on the atmosphere, the place is trying to give a vibe of being a ballroom in a mansion, with servants waiting on you--despite the fact that this is a hole-in-the-wall café. The waitresses have good posture and seem to be very polite and formal, almost as if they are actual maids working for a rich and powerful family.

If only you are not the only female patron in the place.

All of the patrons here are men ranging from their early twenties to their early sixties, all eyeing the waitresses in one way or another. It is making you incredibly uncomfortable. You wonder if it is too late to go to the restaurant.

The woman who greeted you talks to Marcel, who--judging by his body language--seems to make a request. The woman nods, takes a few menus from the host stand next to you and leads you to a table near the corner. She places the menus on the tables and gestures for you to sit. You take a seat with your back to the rest of the café while the men take the remaining seats.

You look at the menu to find that it is entirely in Japanese, "I have no idea what any of this says."

Marcel flips your menu onto the other side, "I recommend getting one of the bento deals"

"Bento…?" A bento is a type of Japanese lunch box, but you are not sure what exactly is in these bentos.

A waitress comes up to your table and bows in greeting, "Good to see you again Lister _-sama_." With her thick accent, it takes you a moment to realize that she is actually speaking English.

"Hello Mori _-san_ ," he greets her in return, using Japanese honorifics instead of English ones. He orders edamame as an appetizer--steamed soybeans in their pods. It is not your favorite food, but you will eat it regardless. The waitress also takes your drink order. When she is finished she bows and promises to return, Marcel takes this time to speak to Sully, "So how have you been Mr. Sullivan? I have heard quite a few stories about you in the last few years."

"Nothing bad I hope," Sully replies.

Marcel's face changes as he mutters something under his breath in Polish. You cannot understand the language, but it sounded something like "To-za-leh-zhi-od-def-in-ic-ji."

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," the older man tells him.

"Nothing, nothing," the playboy assures him, his demeanor returning to what it once was. It is painfully obvious that he is lying.

Not wanting to confront this, you change the subject, "I wonder if this place has veggie tempura…"

"Of course it does!" Marcel points to one of the bentos on the menu. "These bentos come with an entrée, your choice of sushi, and a side of fruit or vegetable. Since you're getting the vegetable tempura, you should probably get the fruit." He turns to Sully, "Do you need help reading the menu, Mr. Sullivan?"

"No, I'm good," he says. "This isn't my first trip to Japan you know."

Not too long after the waitress returns with the drinks, ready to take the meal orders. Once she has the orders, she bows and leaves once again.

This time, Marcel turns the conversation to you, asking what you have been doing since your blacklisting. Not wanting to talk about the repetitiveness of the rut you had found yourself in during your month of unemployment, you ask about the employer that badmouthed you. You figure since he brought it up, you might as well talk about it.

"It is as I said," he explains. "He claims that you demanded more money after the job and shot him when he would not comply."

You have to wonder how much sense that makes. You remember that employer, he was the type of person who would crumble under pressure. If you had threaten to shoot him for double what he promised you, he would _triple_ your pay just to avoid getting shot. You also remember that he is a vindictive bastard who would shoot himself just to stop you from getting anymore work.

"I never believed it," Marcel says. "You are not the type of person to do that."

"Remember what I said before, in Turkmenistan?" Sully asks.

You recall him saying that if you had connections, you probably would not have been blacklisted by this one asshole. You begin to see that he is correct. In the past, you only trusted your partners to a certain point so you could avoid betrayal in a career where this sort of thing is common. After what Sully told you then, and hearing the real story now, you begin to think that maybe putting your trust in some people would not be bad at all.

The rest of your time in the café is not remarkable. Marcel moves onto small talk, as the three of you eat the appetizer and your lunch. When the meal is finished, you are eager to leave this café.

Marcel leads you and Sully out of the café and down the street. The three of you enter a shop with a few western-style dresses displayed in the window.

" _Irasshaimase_ ," you hear a woman's voice, as she steps out from behind a curtain behind the counter. "Ah, Lister _-san_ , Genevieve _-san_ has been expecting you," the woman's accent is much clearer than the waitress in the café. She ushers the three of you into the curtain, "She is waiting for you upstairs."

You walk up the stairs and see a hallway with many closed doors with signs written in Japanese. You have no idea where to go, but it seems that Marcel does, so you follow him. He knocks on one of the doors, hears a woman's voice and enters.

It is an office that reminds you of Sully and Sam's when you first went to interview for the job: an organized mess. However, rather than it being littered with historical books and documents, it's fashion magazines, manikins, sewing supplies and sketches of dresses. In the middle of it all was a blonde woman in a tracksuit with her hair tied back in a messy bun.

"There you are!" She speaks with a French accent, "You make me come in on my day off and you don't even arrive on time!" The woman is more annoyed than anything.

"I'm deeply sorry Axelle," he apologizes.

Wait, Axelle? The shopkeeper downstairs just referred to her as "Genevieve", perhaps that was her last name?

"Sorry won't cut it! I expect double compensation for this inconvenience!"

Marcel looks at his watch, "I'm only about fifteen minutes late, you don't think double is a little steep?"

"For you? _Non_ ," she says plainly.

Then it hits you: if you were fifteen minutes late from eating at a café nearby, then eating in the restaurant would have made you even _later_! Marcel must feel really comfortable with this woman to potentially make her wait like that; perhaps an ex-girlfriend?

"We can haggle the price later," he says. "My friends need to get their measurements, and we need to pick out the dress so we can match the tuxedo accordingly--"

" _Tais-toi_!" She snaps at him, "You're acting like I've never done this before." She picks up the phone and talks to someone in Japanese and within a minute, another woman enters the room. Genevieve speaks to the woman in Japanese, but stops and turns to you Sully, "My apologies, but your names…?" You and Sully introduce yourselves, and the woman picks up where she left off, dropping Sully' name.

The woman bows and gestures for Sully to follow her, which he does fairly eagerly. You are left with Genevieve and Marcel.

"I was thinking of a dress to match the scarf--"

"You have no say in this," she barks at him. She stands up and walks over to you, "Come with me _mademoiselle_ , I will get you measured and help you pick out a dress."

She leads you out of the room and into another, with three full-length mirrors and several armless manikins wearing different dresses. She takes some measuring tape off the neck of one of the manikins, instructing you to take off any bulky clothes you have on, including your bag. You do so, and she begins getting your measurements. While the process is quickly for you, you wonder how long it is for Sully, since there are more measurements to consider for a tuxedo. Considering his eagerness, you wonder if he would mind a long, drawn out process.

" _Très bien_ ," Genevieve says when she is finished. "I was very close to guessing your measurements. A few simple adjustments will do for anything we decide on."

"Okay," you nod. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you?"

She gives an annoyed groan, "That imbecile told you nothing, did he? I am Genevieve, I own this boutique and I've designed almost every dress in here."

"But Marcel called you Axelle," you point out.

She rolls her eyes, "Of course he did. That is my real name, that I do not give out to clients. You'll be wise to call me 'Genevieve'."

"Okay. So do you know Marcel personally?"

"Oui, his sister and I are good friends," she replies. "Now, shall we get the fitting started or shall we continue 'Twenty Questions'?"

"Sorry," you apologize as you remove the rest of your clothes. As you take each article of clothing off, you hand it off to her.

When you hand her your scarf, she takes pause, "Where did you get this? It's beautiful."

"Turkmenistan," you reply.

"I would like to buy it from you," she says.

"It's not for sale," you firmly inform her.

"No, money cannot do this justice," she places the scarf among your other clothes. "Wait here, I have something to trade for it. Please feel free to try on one of the dresses."

She quickly leaves the room. When you are finished undressing, you immediately take one of the dresses on one of the manakins off to try on for yourself. Really, you were afraid of a man accidentally walking in on you wearing nothing but your underwear.

The dress is halfway on when Genevieve reenters the room, "Here, allow me to help." She zips up the dress for you and ensures that it is on correctly, "So, what do you think?"

The dress is a strapless green dress that hugs your waist down to your mid-thighs but hangs loose down to your ankles. It gives you just enough mobility, plus it looks very nice on you. Your only complaint is that the strapless design makes your collarbone look bare; you wonder if Genevieve has any jewelry for you to wear. Overall, you like it, the only alterations that need to be done is around the chest so that the dress will stay up without you holding onto it.

"It looks good on you," the woman observes. "But if I may…"

You turn and see a thin wooden box in her hands. She carefully and shows you its contents: a wooden folding fan. She opens the fan, revealing a painting of a woman in a forest, originating approximately from the Heian period. You take the fan in your hands to get a better look. It is well preserved, but it seems like the real deal--nearly a thousand-year-old Japanese folding fan.

"I thought you might like it," Genevieve says. "I know what type of people Marcel hangs out with."

"Where did you get it?" You wonder.

"You can call it a 'gift' from one of Marcel's other accomplices," she explains. "It is obviously stolen, so I cannot display it. But you do not mind, no?"

"Not really," you admit.

It is not as if you are going to open your own gallery to display your stolen artwork in. But you do like the fan. It's authenticity would definitely make it worth something if you fall on hard times, if to ever comes to that. Still, the scarf is practically a gift from Sully, but would he take the trade personally?

"So, the fan for the scarf," Genevieve offers you. "Do we have a deal?"

A. Yes.  
B. No.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/NJ6aEC8.png](https://i.imgur.com/NJ6aEC8.png) 
> 
> I'll be honest, I did "maid cafe" because I got bored of writing filler. I am just as eager to get to the action as everyone else...the only problem is I feel like I'm forcing my way through these chapters and I have to end it somewhere to get it out in time--hence the snail's pace. 
> 
> But I've decided, as soon as we meet back up with Sam and Nadine, we're going to more or less skip to the event. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	15. Hookups and Relationships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...something... _interesting_ happened with the voting this week. Now usually, voting usually finishes up with roughly 12-15 votes on Thursday or Friday, maybe with a few stragglers over the weekend. But I checked yesterday (on Sunday) after writing most of the chapter, and it **jumped by over ten votes**.
> 
> Now, I would be ecstatic that so many people flocked to this story in such a short amount of time...if this weren't so suspicious. On Thursday or Friday (I forget exactly when) I last checked the voting and Choice A was in the lead by about two votes, so I was confident that voting was finished and I can work on the chapter. Then, as you can tell, I saw that Choice B was in the lead by five votes.
> 
> Fortunately, this last choice has no short-term repercussions so all I needed to do was change the beginning.
> 
> ...but if I had to redo the whole chapter, that would break my update schedule. So here's what I've decided to do:  
>  **I am going to keep updates restricted to Mondays and close voting on Thursday**
> 
> I'm sorry if this inconveniences anyone, but it's the only way to avoid something like this happening again and messing me up.
> 
> Thanks for the support, really. Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: No.  
_Hookups and Relationships_**

After careful consideration, you decide not to do through with this deal.

You put the fan back in the box and give it back to Genevieve. "I'm sorry, but no."

She gives a heavy sigh and takes the box back. "Oh well, it is your choice, after all. But never mind, back to business."

You try on the other dresses, which were all nice, but you decide on the green dress you tried on first. You put this dress back on and Genevieve uses safety pins for the alterations. You also ask if she has any jewelry for you to wear with the dress. She says that she does not have any, but that you should ask Marcel's sister who you would inevitably meet. When everything is finished, you change back into your regular clothes.

"I will have your dress delivered to Marcel tomorrow afternoon," she tells you.

Then, it occurs to you: what are you going to be doing tonight? The hotel was only paid for last night into this afternoon, so where will you be staying?

"I suppose that is it," her voice pulls you out of your thoughts. She opens the door. "Please go into the second door on your left while I…negotiate with Marcel." Judging by the way she says this, she is not looking forward to the negotiations.

You thank Genevieve and go through the door. You find yourself in a waiting room, with only one other person in there with you--a young man playing a game system. He is too engrossed into his game to notice you, but you do not mind in the slightest since it is not likely that he speaks a language you know. You sit down and take out a book to read.

After a while, you wonder what is taking Sully so long; he was only getting measured, surely, he would have finished first. A long while has passed, another woman has called for the other man in the room, leaving you alone. Now, you wonder what is taking Marcel and Genevieve so long. Usually, Marcel is willing to pay whatever the asking price is, so it should not take this long for any negotiations--unless Genevieve is being unreasonable. Then again, Genevieve struck you as a reasonable business woman, so it does not make sense.

That is when Sully finally enters the room, and you notice immediately that he is in a very good mood. "Why are you so happy?"

"There's plenty of things to be happy about sweetheart," is all he says to you.

"But all you did was get measured and…" Then, it occurs to you why he took so long--and perhaps why Genevieve and Marcel are taking so long as well. "No. Y-you didn't!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he turns away.

"Oh come on, I know exactly what went down!" you tell him. "Genevieve left the room for a few minutes, that's plenty of time for you to ask for her to stall Marcel."

"For your information, it was Sachiko who asked her, not me," he clarifies.

You assume this "Sachiko" was the name of the woman. "So, what, she came onto you?"

He shrugs. "Well, one thing led to another and--"

"Never mind," you interrupt. "I don't want to hear it. But if Sam and I end up hooking up by the end of this job, I don't want to hear it about that either!"

You are surprised by what you have just said. You are not the type to just hook up with men--even if Sam is no longer a stranger to you--you just prefer a relationship. But after your realization back in the hotel room, you wonder if it is even possible.

"What happened to 'not making it personal with your employers'?" Sully wonders.

"Hooking up isn't personal," you point out. "At least, it's not supposed to be. And besides! You two aren't my employers on this job--we're partners!"

"That's a lot of loopholes, are you sure you didn't study to be a lawyer?" he asks playfully.

You shake your head at the comment. "Besides, what we agreed on was that you get to say 'I told you so' after a failed relationship. Hooking up isn't a relationship."

"But hooking up isn't what you want," he tells you. He read you like a book.

You turn away. "Yeah, but I've been selfish, trying to pry all this personal information out of him…he doesn't know a thing about me." Then, you hear Marcel clear his throat. When had he entered the room?

"I apologize for the wait," he says. "For some reason, Axelle wanted to hold me up. But the car is here and ready to go."

"Okay." You put your book away. "Go where?"

"To my family's home in Yamate," he informs you.

You and Sully follow him downstairs, bidding farewell to the woman watching the storefront, who is now accompanied by the woman who measured Sully.

" _Sayounara_ Victor- _kun_ ," you hear her say.

Sully says something back to her in Japanese, causing you to sigh in embarrassment. There is a time and place for everything, and you have to be honest, public sex is just inappropriate.

The car is different from the one earlier--you wonder if they all belong to Marcel or if he's just calling a bunch of taxis. The car ride over is uneventful enough, with Marcel engaging Sully in small talk, while you remain quiet, taking in the sights on your way to the house. It is a very short distance to Yamate, and you see all the western-inspired architecture of the houses. You hope that you get to take in at least some Japanese culture on this trip, as so far, you have only seen western-inspired culture…and the maid café.

The car enters the driveway of one of the houses as per Marcel's request. The three of you step out and see the fairly large Lister family home. A woman in a maid's uniform steps out of the front door to greet you all.

"Hello Marcel-kun," she greets him first. Then she turns to you and Sully and bows. "On behalf of Cleena- _sama_ and Kohaku- _kun_ , I welcome you to the Lister family home."

You cannot help but notice that she referred to one person with a more formal honorific--like the one the maids in the café used to refer to Marcel--and the other person with a familiar one--like the one Sachiko used for Sully. This tips you off to the fact that her relationship to these people is…a bit weird.

Marcel introduces you and Sully to her and introduces her as Momoko, the house maid.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she says, bowing once more. "It is not often that Marcel-kun brings visitors over. I believe your friends are in the basement."

"Oh, is Mr. Darrow still here?" Marcel asks.

"I am afraid you have just missed him," she informs him. "He did say to call him if you need anything else."

She then leads the three of you inside. There is a shoe cubby in the entrance hallway; Momoko instructs you and Sully to take off your shoes and place them in the cubby. You put yours next to what appears to be Sam's shoes. She then leads you downstairs, where you see Nadine, Sam…

…and an unfamiliar woman uncomfortably close to him.

Your face pales as anger boils up to your face. The only thing stopping you from yelling at this woman is the fact that you and Sam are not actually together. Still, seeing another woman that close to him makes you feel somewhat violated--as if she is in your territory.

"Cleena- _sama_ ," Momoko gets the woman's attention. She introduces you and Sully to her, and you make an attempt to fix your face--but you are sure Sam and Nadine got a good look at you.

"Good to meet you." She shakes hands with Sully first. "I'm Cleena Lister…well, technically Cleena Shimino, but technicalities are for lawyers."

The first thing to notice when she opens her mouth is her accent--it isn't Polish, like Marcel’s. In fact, it sounds British, maybe Scottish. This raises several questions in your head.

"Have you eaten lunch? If not, I can have our chef cook you somethin’," she offers.

You and Sully decline, and Marcel ushers her and Momoko out of the room so you can do business. When she is gone, everyone is staring at the playboy, looking for an explanation.

"I'm adopted," is all he says. "Now that we've acknowledged the elephant in the room." He gestures to the equipment on the table in the middle of the room. "I trust Mr. Darrow gave you everything."

"Yes," Nadine tells him. "He was very thorough."

"Good." Marcel walks over to a wall and pulls down a shade with an overhead map of the neighborhood taped onto it. "Now, the Brodeur Gallery is here," he points to a building colored in red, "Miss Ross and Mr. Drake will be here," he points to a building colored in blue not far from the red building. "The house will be unoccupied tomorrow night, allowing you two to safely stake out over there."

"Will it be a good enough vantage point?" Nadine wonders.

"Yes, there's two windows on the third floor that give you a good look at the gallery," he explains. "With your binoculars, you should be able to look directly into some of the windows, especially on the second floor. Now because you can't look too far into the building, I recommend staying in constant contact with each other at all times."

"This isn't our first job you know," Sam says.

"I'm sure it isn't," Marcel replies honestly. "From what I'm told, the outside patrols remain the same each and every night. Take the time to study them tomorrow." He turns to you and Sully. "As for you two, Mr. Darrow has provided us with something very useful. Miss Ross, if you could explain it."

She picked what looked like a large plug with two antenna attached to it. "This is a signal hijacker, plug it in and we can intercept a signal of almost anything."

"Anything? Like wi-fi and cell phones?" you ask.

"Anything with a two-hundred meter radius," she replies.

"Oh my god," you say. "Governments would kill to get their hands on something like this."

"Governments don't need technology like this," Marcel shrugs. "They already have the means to spy on you." He takes the hijacker from Nadine. "What you will be doing is plugging this into any available outlet you can find."

"How do you propose we do that?" Sully wonders. "It would look suspicious if a guest was plugging something into the wall."

"Say you're plugging your phone in," he brushes it off. "You're the ones going in, you should think about that."

That is the Marcel you have grown accustomed to; always behind the scenes, leaving the problem-solving to the ones doing the actual work.

"That being said," he continues. "I suggest that the two of you pose as an actual couple, rather than man and escort."

"What's the difference?" you have to ask.

"To put it simply, if you were Mr. Sullivan's wife, rather than someone he paid to accompany him, it would make more sense for him to let you out of his sight," Marcel explains.

Sully understands. "So if she were to go off on her own, it wouldn't be as suspicious."

"I guess that's right," you agree. "I can look for the painting while Sully mingles."

Marcel seems satisfied. "Good. I'll have a car pick up Miss Ross and Mr. Drake to take them to the stake-out location, and I'll have another car sent for you afterwards. Any objections?" No one seems to have any.

Before he can continue, you hear a male voice say something in Japanese. A man comes down the stairs wearing business casual clothing, with his sleeves rolled up, revealing sleeve tattoos on both of his arms.

He was a member of the yakuza.

Everyone tenses up when they realize this, except for Marcel, who seems to be somewhat familiar with. "Everyone, this is my brother-in-law, Kohaku."

"That's Shimino to you," he glowers. "You guys are the treasure hunters?"

"What if we are?" Nadine steps forward, challenging him.

Kohaku sucks his teeth at her. "Just thought you should know something about Uematsu, he's been seen with other treasure hunters."

"Like who?" she practically jumps at the statement.

"How should I know?" he retorts. "All I know is that two of them are _gaijin_ : a man and a woman."

" _Gaijin_?" you repeat.

" _Gaijin_ ," he says it slower this time, as if you were a two-year-old. "Like you guys."

"Foreigners," Marcel clarifies. "Think _gringos_ in Spanish."

You understand the analogy. You just wish Kohaku did not treat you like a moron for not knowing.

"Do you know anything else about them?" Nadine presses.

"Should I?" he responds.

"Their names, what they look like?" she gives examples.

"Listen lady, I don't know what you want from me," he tells her with slight attitude. "I said, all I know is that two of them are _gaijin_ : a man and a woman. I don't know their names, faces, or where they keep their cash. I just thought I should let you know what you're up against because I'm a decent guy."

It is hard to believe him at face value. You say nothing to him since you want him to leave. He does so after no one says anything in a while.

"What a charming guy," Sam quips. "I can see what your sister sees in him."

You cannot help but feel a pang of anger when he mentions Cleena.

"He really is a decent guy once you get to know him," Marcel explains. "He and my sister have…a special arrangement in their marriage."

"He's sleeping with the maid, isn't he?" You blurt out, "I mean, she used a familiar honorific with him…plus he introduced you to that maid café, right?"

The playboy becomes flustered, muttering something to himself in Polish, before speaking to you again, "I guess nothing can get past a smart girl like you, huh?"

It is painfully obvious to anyone paying attention. If Kohaku was sleeping with his maid, then that would mean that Cleena is allowed to sleep around as well. The thought alone gets you furious, but you hold back your anger as much as you can.

"Anyway," Marcel walks over to a door and opens it, "you will be sleeping here tonight. I believe Cleena has some pajamas for you to change into."

You look into the room to see it has two bunk beds and one queen-sized bed; you wonder how the sleeping arrangements will be between the four of you. There is a bathroom connected to the room, so at least you will not need to go upstairs.

"I don't have any other plans for the night, so the house is free to roam at Cleena and Kohaku's permission," he says as he climbs back upstairs.

"Wait, so we're not allowed to leave?" you ask.

He breathes in sharply. "No. I'm sorry but I don't want anything to happen to any of you."

He leaves you guys alone, so you turn to Nadine. "So you think one of those _gaijin_ with Uematsu is Chloe?"

She turns away. "I'm…hoping that's the case."

"It sure seems like it," Sully puts in. "This isn't the first time Chloe's been forced to work for some bastard against her will."

"You're talking about the Shambala deal," Nadine surmises.

"Yeah, with that one guy, Lazarabitch?" Sam adds, most likely incorrectly.

You doubt you are going to get the full story, so you tell them that you are going to explore the house and leave to do so. The first room you enter when you climb upstairs is a sort of living space, with a small table covered with a blanket in the center of the room--you believe this is called a kotatsu. There is also a TV and two armchairs and a large bookcase, where you see Marcel trying to pick something out. The room itself feels like a mishmash of Japanese culture and western influence--mostly thanks to the kotatsu.

Marcel senses your presence and turns around. "Oh, I thought you'd be downstairs for a little while longer."

"I just thought I'd take a look around," you say.

It was a half-truth. Really, you just did not want to hear them talk about a story you doubt anyone was going to tell you.

"So," he begins. "it's Drake, isn't it?"

You blink in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"In Axelle's boutique, I heard you and Sullivan talk about 'hooking up' and 'being selfish'," he explains. "You were talking about Drake, weren't you?"

"What makes you think that?" you ask him, trying to dodge the question.

"He reminds me of Ken Voclain." The mentioning of that name makes your legs go numb. "You know, your ex-boyfriend?"

"I happen to remember the names of my lovers," you retort, getting defensive, "unlike you."

"No need to get bitter, I just thought you'd want to forget about him," he says simply.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," you sneer.

He backpedals, "Okay, I'm sorry. It's just…he reminds me of him is all. You know, as a less-attractive version of him."

"Don't compare him to Ken!" you exclaim. "He's nothing like him!"

"So he wouldn't jump bail and leave you to rot in some Mexican hellhole?" he asks honestly.

You know Marcel does not mean to, but he is bringing up some sour memories. You would prefer to forget them. Instead, you recall how Sam took the time to tuck you under the covers that morning. When you were with Ken, if the two of you fell asleep on the couch, you would wake up alone on the couch and find him in your bed by himself.

"Sam is nothing like Ken," you repeat with confidence.

"If you say so." He is unconvinced. "So you _are_ interested in him."

After what you have just said, there is no denying it.

"That's fine," he says. "I won't get in the way, and I'll tell Cleena to back off."

"Why do you care?" you ask as he leaves the room.

He turns around to face you. "After everything we've been through, I like to think we're friends. You don't think so?"

That is a question you have to ask yourself. You have known Marcel for years at this point, and you have him to thank for getting out of said Mexican hellhole. Still, you have always found him annoying, especially with his advances. You have seen many sides of him, but you were unaware--until now--that there was this side to him, one that would be willing to help you like this.

Are you two friends; what do you tell him?

A. "We are."  
B. "I don't think so."  
C. "I don't know."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/Mv2OOzZ.png](https://i.imgur.com/Mv2OOzZ.png) (Early Update, brace yourselves)
> 
> Think of this poll as how you feel about Marcel as a character. Depending on the votes, I'll incorporate him more into the story (but not to the point that would be unnatural or annoying) or I'll kinda sorta phase him out. I don't have any attachments to the character, so it doesn't matter to me.
> 
> So...Ken Voclain. Who is he? Why did he screw over our protagonist? These questions may or may not be answered.
> 
> Also, there was a brief exchange between Marcel and our protagonist that I had to drop: Marcel was originally going to think that Sam was Nate. He would've been surprised to hear him being referred to as "Sam" as Nadine only referred to him as "Drake" to Marcel, and as we've established in the early chapters, it was widely known that Sully's partner is "Nathan Drake". But I had to drop it because Sam is referred to by his first name during the car ride from the airport in chapter 11. What purpose did this serve? As a funny exchange between the character, honestly. Maybe it's just as well it get dropped.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> EDIT 3/5/18  
> Editing chapters out of order because I just recently figured out Cleena's voice and I'm changing her dialogue to reflect this along with any typos and such.


	16. Unwanted Reminders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Thursday update...right after I said I was updating on Mondays only...
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, this ended up being a really short chapter and since I was closing the poll today and this choice was in the lead anyway, I thought "why not?" That being said, expect a short chapter on Monday...unless I get REALLY carried away.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for voting! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: "We are."**  
_**Unwanted Reminders** _

You nod, "We are. You've helped me out a lot on previous jobs, and if you know me well enough not to believe those lies about me, I guess I can say we're friends."

He smiles at you, "Good, and friends help friends get laid. So I'll just have a little talk with Mr. Drake."

"I wouldn't if I were you," you stop him. "He doesn't like you very much."

"Oh, yeah," he says as if he were reminded of something. "After what I said in the car this morning, I really wouldn't blame him." He then yawns, "Speaking of this morning, I should probably take a nap, I've been awake for about twelve hours after all." You watch him go, but then you see him pause for a moment, "Hello Mr. Drake." You go pale--how much did he hear? "I hope my sister has been hospitable."

"Yeah, you can say that," he tells him. He enters the room when Marcel leaves, "So…"

"How much did you hear?" You ask, reluctant to hear the answer. 

All he says is, "Ken Voclain?"

It's enough to make you want to disappear. He just heard himself being compared to your ex-boyfriend, which is terrible for someone to hear. 

"He's…someone I want to forget," you mutter, trying to ignore the memories of him.

"Leaving you in some hellhole in Mexico? I guess we're more alike than you think," he points out. 

You remember Sully telling you that Sam was pretty much abandoned in that prison, but your situation was not like that. 

"I dunno," you do not want to let on that you know so much. 

He crosses his arms, "Try me."

You do not want to remember your experience in that Mexican prison, but you have to tell him something. 

You to keep to the heist, "Well…I ended up in prison thanks to someone else's incompetence. Long story short, Ken got bail bonds and jumped bail."

He nods in acknowledgement, "I jumped bail in Honduras once. Had to dodge a couple of bounty hunters for about a year after that. I know I'm never doing that again."

"Yeah, he ended up in the same prison as me, with his arms broken in two places," you inform him, trying to ignore all of your memories inside that dreadful place.

"That doesn't make sense," he points out. 

"Itwasmixedpopulation," the words pour of your mouth. "You know, men and women? Theyhavethoseyouknow."

Sam just looks at you as he puts the pieces together. After a while, he asks, "How'd you get out of there?"

"I was put up for parole, along with another partner on that job, and Marcel flew us out," you tell him. "That being said, I'm not allowed back in Mexico."

"I'll bet," he says. "And Ken? What happened after he got dumped back in prison?"

"I never really saw him again," you admit. "Too busy…" You trail off as the painful memories flooded back. 

You think you must have started tearing up, because the next thing you know, Sam is holding you against his chest. This isn't like the hug Marcel had given you when you first arrived--this one is more like an embrace. It has been a long time since you have been held like this, the feeling is overwhelming and you end up breaking down and crying. 

You have no idea how long this lasts. Eventually, your crying dwindles down to sniffling. 

Sam steps away to look at you, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," you croak. "I'm sorry, I--"

"No, no, I'm sorry," you can tell he feels a bit awkward--anyone would be if the person they were just talking to burst into tears. 

"So…I guess we're both sorry," you say. 

It has become another awkward moment with Sam. You wonder why it keeps coming to this.

Then, you remember why he was here in the first place, "Did you…follow me up here?" 

"Yeah," he admits. "I saw your face when Cleana--or whatever--was coming onto me."

You turn away in embarrassment, "Uh…yeah…I don't know what got into me. I'm not the jealous type, or at least I don't think I am."

"I wouldn't really blame you," he says. "If you _were_ my girlfriend, you'd have every right to be pissed off."

You wonder if something had just happened when you had gotten down to the basement, like if she kissed him or something. Perhaps he was simply referring to how close she had gotten. Then another thought crossed your mind--Nadine--how did she feel about this? You did not see her reaction since you were so focused on Cleena and Sam. These were all questions you can ask Sam right now. 

What do you ask about?

A. If he and Cleena had kissed.  
B. If he was simply referring to her closeness to him.  
C. How Nadine was feeling about what was happening. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/BIDYuZc.png](https://i.imgur.com/BIDYuZc.png)  
>  **TIE BREAKER AUTHOR VOTE: C**  
> [Edit (2/18): So, this was the result a day or two before the poll closed.](https://i.imgur.com/HSUwpUL.png) And this is why I'm closing polls on Thursdays instead of letting them go throughout the week. I'll explain in the next chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> Don't sweat the question too much, you're just asking for information, nothing's going to ruin your relationship with Sam (this time).
> 
>  
> 
> Oh and that crying scene would have been a tender one...but the protagonist got too emotional and started crying and Sam thinks it's his fault she started crying, hence the awkwardness. Don't worry, we'll get there eventually (hopefully)!
> 
>  
> 
> As for the details about Mexico...I'd have to bump the rating up to M to explain...but I kinda wanna keep it at T, unless I have a VERY good reason to bump it up. And yes, that means no explicit sex scenes. Sorry, you won't be getting any of that from this author.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	17. Cleena and Kohaku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm about to have a huge rant about the voting as of late so if you're not interested in that, feel free to skip right to the chapter. Enjoy!
> 
> Since I closed the poll early, I thought I'd treat you guys to an early chapter.
> 
> So yeah, I'm not proud of what I just did, but, if I'm being honest, I was afraid of turning out a subpar chapter. Because [this](https://i.imgur.com/HSUwpUL.png) is what I saw shortly after the poll was posted. So I ended up writing two chapters, it wasn't a big deal since they were short. Then, all of a sudden, people are coming around deciding to vote B, (two of the most recent votes being really close together, time-wise) and this does nothing but mess me up.
> 
> And I don't mean to undermine votes but...I'm really starting to suspect that someone is just messing with me. With that ten-vote surge last week that DIDN'T repeat itself this week, I think the evidence is there. I'm really sorry if those were legitimate votes, but this is the internet and I generally don't trust the internet.
> 
> I thought I'd be nice and give early updates if the chapter is short, but I guess we can't have that. So I guess I have to enforce strict weekly updates and have voting only open from Monday to Thursday.
> 
> I'm sorry to start off this chapter on such a negative note but...I _really_ didn't think I'd have to deal with stuff like this. And I really hope I'm just being paranoid.
> 
> But enough of that, I do appreciate your guys' voting on this, I feel that it's a way of showing support, even without an AO3 account. But you know what? Hats off to user Fiddle for liking this story so much that he found a way to give Kudos not once, not twice, but SIX times. (Seriously, I'd really like to know how that happened, if you can message me or something, that'd be great)
> 
> Thanks again! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: How Nadine was feeling about what was happening.**  
_**Cleena and Kohaku** _

"Wait, so Nadine was in the room with you and she didn't say anything when Cleena was…" you try to find the right words, "hitting on you?"

"Yeah, come to think of it, it was weird that she didn't say anything," Sam tells you. "Then again, I think she said something about knowing her."

"You think we should ask?" you wonder.

"Yeah," he agrees.

The two of you leave the room and catch Sully and Nadine coming up the stairs. You take the opportunity to ask her if she knows Cleena.

"I've met her when Chloe and I last visited this house," she explains. "Apparently she's had an encounter with Chloe before."

"What sort of encounter?" Sully asks.

Nadine crosses her arms. "Cleena is a hitwoman."

This causes an awkward silence between the four of you. The most shocking thing about this fact was how unassuming Cleena is, but you suppose that makes her a good assassin, at least when it comes to blending in.

"Me ears are burnin’." Cleena approaches you, holding a pile of clothes in her arms. "You wouldn' happen to be talkin’ about me, would you?"

You, along with Sam and Sully are unsure of what to say to her.

Nadine, on the other hand is, "We were just discussing how you're a hitwoman."

Cleena seems amused by this, "Oh, I suppose me reputation precedes me. Me employers call me the Dragoness of the West, I’m well versed in many different eastern styles."

She goes onto explain exactly how proficient she is in said styles in enough detail to convince you that she is completely serious. Truth be told, the way she talked about her skills so nonchalantly scared you. Usually the ones who regard their criminal work as "just a job" tended to be good at what they do--you consider it a humble brag. She probably has a lot of blood on her ledger, and she the fact that she does not seem to care is what frightens you the most.

"Oh, I don' mean to ramble," she finally finishes. "Here are some clothes to change into for the night." She hands them off to you. "You're allowed to go into any room, except for the bedrooms upstairs. Oh and the dojo is off-limits without an invitation."

"Dojo?" Sully asks.

"Oh, it's where Kohaku and I spar. Karate, Kung Fu, Kendo, we have all the K's covered," she giggles to herself. "If you have any questions feel free to ask me or Momoko." With that, she leaves.

"I am _so_ glad that I have a reason to say 'no' to her now," Sam says.

"Yes, I…didn't think she was so…" Nadine tries to find the right words.

"Psychotic?" Sam guesses.

"That's one word for it," you agree. Then, you remember something else you wanted to ask Nadine. "Hey, when she was getting…up close and personal with Sam, why didn't you say anything?"

"This is _her_ house," she explains. "And as long as we're guests, we have to respect that. Believe me, if we were anywhere else I would have made it clear that none of us have any need for distractions."

"So…am I going to hold this forever?" you ask, wanting to get the clothes out of your hands.

"Here, I'll put them in the bedroom." Sully takes them off your hands and heads back downstairs.

Then, Kohaku approaches the three of you, wearing a karate outfit, holding another set of clothes under his arm. He wordlessly looks over Sam and nods, "Okay, you'll do."

"Uh, do for what?" Sam wonders as Kohaku hands him the clothes.

"Sparring partner," he informs him curtly. "I always relish an opportunity for a new sparring partner. Come on, I'll pay you fifteen-thousand yen for your trouble."

"Fifteen-thousand," he considers. "How much is that in American?"

He rolls his eyes, "A hundred yen is about one American dollar, do you want it or no?"

Sam shrugs, "Sure, why not?"

"Very good." Kohaku turns to you and Nadine. "The two of you may watch, it will provide incentive for him to do well."

He leads you to the back of the house, where a servant is standing in front of the door you presume leads to the dojo. Kohaku says something in Japanese to him, and the servant opens the door and allows him and Sam to enter. When you and Nadine approach, he slams the door shut.

"Hey, we were invited!" you protest.

You see the servant fishing for the words in his head, "It is…rude…to watch…the other sex…undress…is it not?"

So he was preventing you and Nadine seeing Sam change from his clothes into the karate outfit. You would be lying if you said you were not disappointed, but you suppose it is fair. After a while, you hear Kohaku say something from inside and the servant lets you in and slides the door shut behind you.

Sam is dressed up in the karate outfit, you notice that it has a yellow belt while Kohaku's has a black belt. You feel that it is fitting, somehow. You and Nadine sit down along the side, with a view of the whole ring.

"We begin by showing respect and bowing to our opponents," Kohaku explains. He puts his hands together and bows to Sam, who does the same, uneasily. "And we begin when he hear the sound of the gong."

He points to something behind you. You look and see a small gong on a shelf, so you pick up a small mallet and hit it.

The fight itself is very interesting; Sam gets the upper hand quickly as Kohaku makes the mistake of charging in and attacking first, allowing him to counter. However, Kohaku is quick to recover and soon has Sam at his mercy; this does not last long as he manages to counter a throw, tossing the Japanese man to the ground. When this happens, you notice Nadine tense up, you wonder why.

That last counter was enough for Sam to pin Kohaku down, causing him to call saying, " _Maitta_! _Maitta_! You win! Let me up!" When Sam lets him up, he brushes himself off, "I under estimated you. That's all. This time I won't make that mistake."

It sounds like he is being a sore loser.

"Drake," Nadine speaks up, "how long have you known how to counter that throw?"

He shrugs, "I dunno, I think I picked up most of my skills in prison--"

"So when I did it to you in Libertalia, why didn't you counter it?!" she almost shouts.

He is caught off-guard by this outburst, "Wow, ah…Nathan and I are gentlemen, so--"

"The two of you went _easy_ on me?!" This seemed to piss her off even more.

You have no idea what she is talking about, but you are too concerned too complain or even think about it.

"Well…when you put it that way…" Sam knows he is treading on eggshells, but it seems that he is in far too deep for anything he says to even matter.

Nadine stands up, almost tears off her shirt, revealing her tank top and marches straight at Sam.

Kohaku gets in front of her, "Hey! This is _MY_ dojo--!" You blink and the next thing to see is him on the ground, too shocked in speak in English.

"We're fighting again, right here, right now!" she shouts at him, "And I don't want to hear any of your 'social justice' bullshit! We're fighting as equals, you got that?!"

It was hard not to find the irony in her statement, but you are more concerned with the matter at hand. Nadine was so enraged, that you are afraid that she will hurt Sam; you are not just thinking of him, but of the entire job. If either of them gets hurt in this fight, the inevitable heist for the painting in the gallery will be screwed up. Then again, Nadine has been holding in a lot of emotion and this may be the only way to let it out.

Will you put a stop to this?

A. No, let it play out.  
B. No, egg them on.  
C. Yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/Mw78pu8.png](https://i.imgur.com/Mw78pu8.png)   
>  Edit: Okay, I think it's fair to warn you guys that one of these choices is going to lead to one of the characters having to sit out the rest of the story. I was debating with myself whether or not to say anything since I was afraid of influencing the votes, but I finally decided that it's fair to at least warn you of the possibility. Choose wisely.
> 
> Oh dear, the irony of Nadine's "social justice bullshit" line is off the charts.
> 
> When I first started this chapter, I never would have imagined it ending like this. Hell, the fact that Cleena is a hitwoman just seemed to pop up in my head and I just went with it. In case you haven't noticed, I do that a lot.
> 
> And for those curious, Choice A led to Sam and the protagonist making out. *hears collective groan of disappointment* Yes, yes, it's an opportunity that won't come up again anytime soon, but you have to keep a positive outlook. After all the choice in that version of this chapter was a pretty heavy one.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> EDIT 3/5/18  
> Editing chapters out of order because I just recently figured out Cleena's voice and I'm changing her dialogue to reflect this along with any typos and such.


	18. Grudge Match

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this one didn't turn out as well as I hoped, but I'm not quite sure how to fix it.
> 
> Speaking of fixing, I'm going to start going back through the story and fix any typos or grammatical errors I made in the story. (This is what I get for not proofreading my work right away)
> 
> Oh, and just a suggestion for you guys, but if you guys have any predictions for how the story's going to go, feel free to put it in the comments. With the way this story is structured, I'd probably be able to use it for inspiration, and maybe make you guys feel even more involved.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: No, let it play out.  
_Grudge Match_**

You decide to just let it play out. You are sure Sam is an experienced enough fighter to take Nadine on. In truth, you are hoping that she finally uses this as a release for all the stress she is feeling. When Kohaku drags himself to the side, next to you, she assumes a combat pose.

"Okay Drake, let's see what you're _really_ made of," she glowers.

"Okay, you're asking for it," Sam got himself ready to fight.

Then, you hear the sound of the gong--Kohaku has taken the liberty of sounding it himself. The two of them go at it almost right away. It is not as interesting as Kohaku and Sam's fight earlier; Nadine seems to be acting on raw emotion while Sam's fighting seems sloppy.

"She's going to lose," Kohaku says.

"You think so?" You reply curiously.

"I know it," he tells you with conviction. "Just watch."

You continue watching the fight, and neither of them seem to be coming out on top. Then, Nadine suddenly falls to the floor, and Sam takes his chance and pins her down. She tries to break free, but Sam is physically stronger than her. She is beaten, but she refuses to get up.

"Stop this," Kohaku stands up. "You lost, now stop acting like a sore loser and just accept it."

Nadine struggles for a bit longer before realizing that he is right. She finally admits defeat and Sam lets her go.

"Do you know what your mistake was?" Kohaku asks her.

"I was too emotional," she says as she stands up. "I let it affect--"

"No," he cuts her off. "You're wearing socks in my dojo."

It takes you a moment to realize what he means. Nadine had fallen to the floor because she slipped on the smooth dojo floors. Sam was barefoot so he had a firmer stance and therefore an advantage.

Nadine understand this as well, "I should've known! This time--"

As she attempts to take off her socks, Kohaku catches her off-guard and pushes her down, "No! This is MY dojo! I invited you here to watch, not to have your own personal grudge match!"

This makes her feel insulted, "It was--!"

"--a grudge match," he finishes for her. "You were fighting for your pride, one of the worst reasons for fighting."

She does not say anything to this--she cannot.

"I don't understand what you westerners' obsession is with pride," he continues. "It's going to get you nothing but killed in this life."

Sam looks over to Nadine; he knows her better than you so you think that maybe he's agreeing with Kohaku--internally.

"Now get out," he finally tells her.

"No," she says as she stands up. "I want to spar with you now."

He is very wary of her, "Why?"

"I was wrong to fight Sam in your dojo," she explains. "Let me make it up to you--you said you enjoy sparing with new partners."

Kohaku considers it for a moment, before agreeing, "Okay, but without an audience. Now step outside while he changes back into his clothes."

"'He' has a name," Sam informs him.

"Did I ask?" Kohaku retorts.

You and Nadine step out of the dojo while the servant closes the door behind you.

"Why didn't you stop me?" She asks suddenly.

You are caught off-guard by the question, "Uh, should I have?"

She crosses her arms, "Considering Sam is still in one piece, no. But I want to know why."

You shrug, "I thought you needed some kind of a release. It's pretty obvious that you're _really_ stressed and worried about Chloe." She looks away, you decide to continue, "You're all business right now and you're all wound up, you need to relax or you're going to end up having a meltdown.  I've seen it happen before."

The door opens and Sam exits, pulling his shirt on. Nadine walks past him into the dojo wordlessly and the servant slides the door shut behind her.

"Well, after all that I can use a cigarette," Sam says. "You wanna come with me and see where I can smoke?"

"Sure," you reply, having nothing better to do. You decide to try and ask the servant there to see if he knows, "Smoking…" You make a cigarette-smoking gesture at him. "Where?"

He points upstairs, "Balcony only."

You thank him as you and Sam go upstairs. You pass Momoko on your way up.

"Hello there," she stops and greets you. "Sullivan-san is upstairs on the balcony. I just finished having a lovely conversation with him, it's so rare that I get to talk to other foreigners. Have the two of you traveled a lot as well?"

"Not as much as Victor," Sam tells her.

"Oh yes, he was in the American military after all," she nods. "Do either of you have any stories to tell?"

"Not really," you say, not wanting to talk to her.

"Yeah, we don't have any worth telling," Sam agrees, wanting to just go and smoke his cigarette.

Momoko does not seem to take the hint, "Then perhaps Ross-san does! Do you know where she is?"

"Downstairs sparring with Kohaku," you inform her, eager to get her to stop talking to you.

"Oh how wonderful!" She exclaims, "I would love to see Kohaku-kun spar with her!"

As she leaves, you cannot help but sigh, "Kinda dense, don't you think?"

Sam nods as he continues upstairs. The two of arrive on the second floor and see a clear door leading out to the balcony, where Sully is smoking a cigar. You notice that the balcony is pretty big--in fact, based on its placement toward the back of the house, you suppose that the balcony is the roof of the dojo.

"So what were you two up to?" Sully asks when approach him.

"Kohaku challenged Sam to a sparring match," you inform him. "It was a disaster."

He looked to Sam, "He beat you pretty bad?"

"No, Nadine threw a tantrum and challenged me to a fight," Sam replies.

When you see that Sully is confused, you explain the entire situation to him. All he can do is sigh and continue smoking his cigar.

"She must be on her period or something," Sam says, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Being worried about Chloe doesn't help," you try vouching for her.

"You know, that's something I've been wanting to ask," Sully speaks up. "What exactly is their relationship?"

Sam shrugs, "They're partners, I guess. I only spent a few days with them back in India."

"What are you trying to imply?" You ask Sully.

"I'm not trying to imply anything," he denies. "But you have to admit, Nadine is _really_ worried about her."

The question has come to your mind before: How do you think Nadine thinks of Chloe?

A. They're friends.  
B. They're partners.  
C. She has feelings for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/U0IGvCt.png](https://i.imgur.com/U0IGvCt.png)  
>  What's this? Am I setting up some ChloexNadine here?
> 
> Well, to be honest, I don't particularly care for the pairing (I'm probably in the minority on this site). But since this is a reader-driven story, I'm gonna let you guys decide how it's going to go. They could be friends, just plain partners or something more, it's your choice and I'll respect it regardless.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	19. Balcony Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's thirty-five-hundred words. I got _very_ carried away, but more on that in the end notes.
> 
> So the only thing I'm surprised at with that last poll is the two-to-one ratio of A to C (I'm not entirely sure why I made B an option). It seems like more people than I thought think of their relationship as platonic. However, as majority rules, this now has ChloexNadine in it, at least one-sided. I apologize if that's not your cup of tea and I hope it won't deter your interest in this story. I'm not tagging it yet since I want Chloe to at least make an appearance before all the shippers come over.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: She has feelings for her.**  
_**Balcony Talks** _

Based on how worried Nadine is about Chloe, you consider the possibility of her having feelings for her. It does not help that Nadine strikes you as a stereotypical lesbian, so you do not want to bring it up. However, perhaps talking about it with Sam and Sully would clear things up.

"Hey, um," you speak up. "Is Nadine…you know, gay?"

Sam just shrugs. "Technically no, since I know for a fact that she's been with a man before."

"Okay, then bisexual then," you correct yourself.

Sam seems like he has something to say, but he does not want to say it.

Sully catches onto this fact quickly, "Come on Sam, what are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," he denies unconvincingly.

"You want to say it," you point out, "What's stopping you?"

After stumbling over his words for a bit, he finally says, "I'm just afraid of what she'll do to me if she finds out I told you."

"We're not going to tell anyone," you assure him.

"I trust you," he tells you, "It's Victor I don't trust."

"What do you mean?" Sully asks, insulted.

"Come on Victor, it's a known fact that you can't keep your mouth shut," Sam points out.

"Now hold on one goddamn minute," he says. "Name one time in the last two years where I 'couldn't keep my mouth shut'."

Sam does not even need to think. "Ecuador. Does the name Emelina sound familiar?" He turns to you. "So we're looking for some Incan artifact, and this girl comes up to me and says that she wants in. Mind you, she's one of those dumb-as-rocks gold digger who would probably get in the way. It turns out, Victor told her almost everything about this artifact." He looks to Sully. "I had to convince her you were a senile old man to get her to leave us alone."

Sully knows when to admit defeat. "Okay, fair enough. But if it's important, I'm not going to tell anyone."

The fact that he told you all about how Sam ended up in prison makes you doubt that statement. You do not say anything out of fear of him finding out about this.

"Sorry Victor, but I can't take that chance," is all Sam says.

"Fine, it's not really important anyhow," Sully concedes.

The rest of the day is uneventful. The three of you decide to stay in the basement for the most part, with Nadine joining you when she is finished with Kohaku.

"Did you get that out of your system?" You ask her when you get the chance.

"Ja," she replies curtly. She does not seem to want to say anything more.

The four of you pass the time by playing cards. It starts off with poker--with Sam suggesting they turn it into strip-poker, which is shot down by everyone, including you. Momoko comes down after a few hours to inform you that dinner will be served to you down there since there is no room at the dining table for all of you, and that Marcel will be joining you.

"Great," Sam sighs.

"It'll be fine," you assure him. At least, you hope it will be fine.

Not too long afterwards, dinner is brought down to you, and Marcel joins you with his own meal.

"I hope Cleena and Kohaku have been treating you well," he says.

"Well we found out that Cleena is a hitwoman," you tell him.

He freezes and becomes uncomfortable, "S-she told you?"

"Yeah, she was pretty up front about it," Sully answers.

" _Really_ up front," Sam adds.

"I wasn't aware it was supposed to be a secret," Nadine informs him.

All Marcel can do is sigh and mutter to himself in Polish. He is uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the meal. When he is finished, he excuses himself and quickly goes upstairs with his plates. While the others are commenting on how quiet he was, you are left wondering about him and his family.

After a while, Momoko comes and takes the empty dishes. She also explains that there is a TV with a DVD player and a few English DVDs in the closet for you to roll out and watch. Not wanting to play cards again, the four of you decide to take the TV out and see what there is to watch.

The TV is on a rolling cart with the DVD player built in. There are seven DVD cases on the cart, all of them anime.

"Cartoons?" Sam asks as he examines one of the cases.

"Anime, actually," Nadine corrects him.

"What's the difference?" That is the question on all of your minds.

"None really," she admits. "It's just anime is a specific type of cartoon, mostly originating in Japan."

"It sounds like you know something about that," Sam teases her.

"I indulge," she says with a straight face, "from time to time."

You wonder what "time to time" means to her.

"So do you have a suggestion?" You ask her, holding up a case depicting a blonde teenage boy with a metal arm.

"None in particular." You suspect she is trying to hide her apparent interest in anime.

You shrug and look at the other cases. Then, one catches your eye: "Howl's Moving Castle".

"Oh my god!" You exclaim as you pick the case up, "They made a movie out of it!"

"Out of what?" Sully wonders, going to see what you are talking about.

"Howl's Moving Castle! I loved that book as a kid!" You cannot contain your excitement.

"I guess we're watching that," Sam says.

The four of you sit down and watch the movie. To your disappointment, the movie is quite different from the book. In fact, in your opinion, you cannot even call the movie an adaptation of the book at all.

When it finishes, Sully goes to get ready for bed, closing the door to the bedroom behind him, while Nadine goes upstairs to stretch her legs. You and Sam are alone in the room.

He notices your disappointment, "Let me guess, it's not as good as the book."

"It's nothing like the book," you tell him. "They should've named it something else, it's so misleading."

"I thought it was pretty good," he says. "Then again I've never read the book."

"Yeah," you sigh. "It's mostly for young adults so it's hard to recommend to people. And I guess judging by the 'Academy Award Nominee' on the cover, people have seen the movie more than the book. And I thought the Harry Potter series was bad."

"What's Harry Potter?" He asks.

Your immediate response is, "Have you been living under a rock?"

"Yes," he replies dryly.

"Sorry," you apologize. "But you've been out for how long, and you've never heard of Harry Potter?"

He shrugs, "I'd rather play catchup on the last decade with my brother and he's not even in tune with pop culture. You know what?" He pulls out his phone, dials a number and puts it on speaker, "Hey Nathan."

"Sam, it's six-am, this better be important," Nate's voice came from the phone.

"Oh, I'm not interrupting anything with the wife, am I?" Sam teases.

"Actually, we're getting ready to head to the airport," he informs him. "The place is crawling with bandits, so we're getting out of here."

"Maybe you were onto something," Sam suggests.

"Not likely, all the leads here were turning up empty," Nate dismisses it. "So what were you calling about? If it's about your job, Elena--"

"It's not about that," Sam assures him. "Have you ever read Harry Potter?"

"What's that one about again?" Nate asks.

"You're kidding," you blurt out.

However, your response is drowned out by the sound of Nate's wife going, "Nate! You've never read Harry Potter?!" Apparently he had put his phone on speaker as well.

"Well I never really had a chance to--"

"It was only a worldwide phenomenon! There were movies and--"

The argument devolves from there. Nate makes excuses that Elena does not accept and it just goes on and on.

"Well Nathan I can tell you're busy so I'll just let you go," Sam tells him after he has heard enough.

"Sam, wait--!" Nate is cut off.

"Yeah, just as I expected," he puts his phone away. "My brother isn't technologically-savvy. He's still using a flip phone for God's sakes."

You are genuinely surprised, "They still make those?"

"Apparently so," he replies. "Get this: I was talking to him one day and I told him to google something, and he asks me 'What's google?' can you believe that?"

You do not. Nowadays the word "google" has become the verb for looking something up online. It is amazing that Sam is familiar with the word despite being away from civilization for thirteen years, while his brother is not.

"Sounds like you know more about technology than him," you point out.

"Yeah, I spent so much time catching up, I guess beat him in that regard," he says with a genuine smile. "It's comforting, knowing I can still teach my little brother a thing or two." Despite the smile on his face, he changes the topic, "What were we talking about before?"

"Movie adaptations, I guess." You shrug, a little disappointed that he did not want to go further with the other conversation.

You learn quickly that Sam is not really a movie buff. He says that he stopped really watching movies after 1990 or so, and it shows. When you bring up Star Wars, he says that he has not seen the prequel trilogy, so you suggest that the two of you watch it when the job is over; you have always wanted to see the disappointment of the prequels first-hand.

"Your place or mine then?" he teases.

" _After_ the job, Sam," you repeat yourself.

"There's nothing wrong with planning ahead," he says. 

"I like focusing on the present," you tell him. "Especially during a job."

Sully emerges from the bedroom, clad in pajamas. "So what are we going to do about the sleeping arrangements?"

"Girls take the bed, we take the bunks?" Sam suggests.

"Sounds good," you approve nonchalantly.

"Yeah, you can have the top bunk," Sully tells him. "I don't feel like climbing just to get in the goddamn bed."

Nadine comes down not too long after. When the bed situation is mentioned to her, she immediately calls top bunk and goes into the bedroom, closing the door behind her before anyone says anything else to her. Sam is left speechless.

"So…I guess you two are sharing the bed?" Your statement comes out more as a question.

"I am not sharing a bed with Sam," Sully denies firmly.

Sam opens his mouth to say something to him, but nothing comes out. He turns to you, "You don't mind sharing with me, do you?"

"What's the problem?" You wonder.

"Sam has a tendency to…grab people in his sleep," Sully explains.

You understand immediately. When you went on overnight school trips as a teenager, you ended up being paired with "troublesome" sleepers--ones who would toss and turn all night, snore, and even the grabby ones. It was never a problem since you almost always slept like a rock. Sharing a bed with Sam should be no different.  

"If that's all, I guess it's okay," you say.

He lets out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, I was afraid I was gonna end up sleeping on the floor."

You can only guess why Sam is "grabby" in his sleep. Maybe it has something to do with the thirteen years in prison. Most of what he does is probably because of the prison sentence.

When Nadine emerges from the bedroom, you are next to go in and change. You decide to keep your bra on to avoid Sam grabbing your chest too much. You know how uncomfortable it will be, especially since you slept in it along with the rest of your clothes earlier. When you are finished, you leave the room, passing Sam on the way out.

Sully and Nadine are sitting down, talking nonchalantly. It is the calmest you have seen her so far, most likely because of that sparring match earlier.

Marcel returns downstairs after a while. "Good, you're starting to get ready for bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He looks to you and immediately furrows his brow. "Are you…wearing a bra to bed?"

You instinctively cover up your chest. "Are you looking at my chest?"

"Yes," he says slowly, not bothering to deny it.

"I think that's grounds for a punch in the face," Nadine tells you.

Marcel immediately recoils when he hears this. "Let's not bring violence into this. I'm just wondering if you'd be uncomfortable like that."

"I'm sharing a bed with Sam," you explain. "I don't want him accidentally grabbing me."

He blinks. "Why would that be unwelcome for you?"

You blush. "I'm not having this conversation right now."

"Suit yourself." He lets it go. "Your clothes will arrive tomorrow afternoon, and that is when we will begin preparations for the event. If there is anything else, feel free to let me know."

"Wait, there is." You stop him from going upstairs. "What's up with Kohaku? If he's yakuza--"

"It's okay," he assures you. "Kohaku is from the Inagawa-kai, while Uematsu is part of the Sumiyoshi-kai. They're different families, and Kohaku doesn't have a reason to talk to Uematsu."

You are relieved, somewhat. The fact that Kohaku was obviously yakuza was very troubling up until now. At least you do not have to worry about him selling you out to Uematsu. With nothing more to be said, Marcel bids you all goodnight and returns upstairs.

Sam is in the bedroom for an uncomfortable long time before he finally emerges. The four of you stay up for a few more hours before you start feeling tired. Sully is the first to go to bed, when he does, Sam decides that it would be a good time to exercise.

"You mean you weren't doing that in the bedroom?" Nadine asks.

"No, I was doing something _else_ ," he replies.

It takes her a moment to realize, and she regrets asking. "Oh my god."

"You were the one who asked," he reminds her.

"I'm going to bed," she announces, slipping into the bedroom.

You decide to join Sam in exercising, since it is part of your nightly ritual as well. He jokingly offers another type of workout for the two of you to do together, which you, of course, decline.

"Didn't you just say you took care of that?" You point out.

"It's still good cardio," he laughs.

"Well if you want, you can do pushups over me while I do crunches," you offer. "All the fun of sex without the arousal."

"You mean without the fun," he corrects you.

You shrug and the two of you laugh. When both of you finish, Sam invites you to come with him to smoke a cigarette. You accept, mostly to keep him company in what is probably now an awkwardly empty house.

When you get upstairs, you hear moans and squeaks coming from one of the bedrooms. You can only imagine what is going on in there. The sounds are muted when the two of you step onto the balcony and close the door behind you. Sam lights his cigarette while you stare out into the distance.

"Nadine's in love with Chloe," Sam tells you.

You had almost forgotten about that. "How'd you know?"

"She told me, by accident," he explains. "She made me promise not to tell anyone--well actually, she threatened me." He takes a drag from his cigarette. "I suspected it when we were in India. When I came into the picture after Chloe rescued me she was acting kind of…jealous."

You let out a laugh; it is hard to imagine Nadine acting on petty jealousy.

"The problem is," he continues. "I don't think Chloe goes that way."

"What makes you say that?" you ask.

He shrugs. "Chloe's pretty open when it comes to her sex life, not once has she ever mentioned the possibility of ever being with another woman."

"Well you never know," you tell him, "It might not have come up in conversation before. Have you ever been with another man before?"

"No," he says firmly.

"Okay," you say, looking at him expectantly.

It takes him a moment to take the hint, "Have you ever been with a woman before?"

"Yes," you answer nonchalantly.

He is caught off guard by your answer and is left speechless. It is actually pretty funny to see his reaction.

"Okay." He finally finds his voice. "Was in it college, like one of those 'experimentation' deals?"

"No, it after college and it was a real relationship," you insist. "Just like one I've had with any other guy."

"So that makes you bisexual," he says.

"Yes it does," you reply. "Just because I don't flirt with women like I do with men, doesn't mean I'm not interested."

"Why not?" He takes another drag from his cigarette.

"Well if I flirt with a woman, that doesn't make her gay, right?" you point out. "I've had a better track record flirting with men."

"So what happened with her?" He asks.

"She got sick of my lifestyle and dumped me," you explain, echoing his words from your date a few days ago.

"That sucks," he gives his sympathies.

"I think I was on that rebound when I met Ken," you continue. "And you know how that turned out."

Sam knows better than to pursue that topic.

That is when the door to the balcony opens, and Kohaku is standing there, wearing nothing but an open kimono and some sweatpants. You and Sam look at him, knowing that he was the one you heard on your way to the balcony; he does not seem to care about what either of you think.

He holds up a cigarette in his hand, "Got a light?"

"Yeah," Sam passes him his lighter.

" _Doumo_ ," he says after he lights his cigarette. "You know, Cleena was pissed when Marcel told her you were off limits."

You are almost afraid to ask, "How pissed was she?"

" _Kinishinaide_ ," he tells you. "It's not about the man, it's about the fact that she's not getting fucked tonight."

"And you're here, screwing your maid every night," you point out.

He can only grin at this, "What can I say? I like my submissive women, and Momoko-chan's as submissive as they come."

"Why are you even married to her anyway?" Sam wonders.

"It's less of a 'marriage' than it is an 'arrangement'," Kohaku explains. "You see, the Listers have connections to military suppliers, and those connections help me in my work, securing weapons for my associates."

That explains where Marcel's wealth comes from, and possibly Cleena's nonchalant attitude as a hitwoman.

"And Cleena is a giant weeaboo," he continues. "And I get her connections to jobs in Asia."

Sam is confused, "Ah, 'weeaboo'?"

Kohaku looks as him as if he is stupid before saying, " _Kinishinaide_ , it'll take too long to explain."

There he goes, treating you two like a pair of morons. You begin hoping that Sam finishes his cigarette soon.

He begins talking again, "So, do you know anything about Uematsu?"

"Let's see, depraved, prone to torture, Kamakura shogunate fanatics," Sam lists what you know about Uematsu.

"At least you're smart enough to do research before going in," Kohaku compliments you both, for once. "I told Marcel about a rumor about the katana, and he goes and asks for a photocopy of a painting that supposedly has a clue to finding it. If he's working with treasure hunters now, it means he has a good lead."

"One of those treasure hunters could be our friend he kidnapped," you inform him.

"If that's so, your friend might as well as signed her death warrant," he responds. "Uematsu doesn't trust _gaijin_. Anyone foolish enough to work for him ends up dead or missing."

"Well we're not going to let that happen," Sam tells him.

" _Marcel_ has already let that happen," he shoots back. "My father has taught me that a leader that doesn't take care of his subordinates is no leader at all." He turns to you. "He seems to listen to you, convince him to give up treasure hunting."

You are surprised by the request. "What! I'm not telling him to do that! Marcel is a decent leader."

"I remember him telling me about a failed heist in Mexico, weren't you a part of that?" He does not miss a beat.

You grow angry. "That was one time."

"It was not one time!" he retorts, almost yelling. "There are countless other times that went wrong! Some of them didn't even come back alive!"

You try to defend him. "It's dangerous work--"

"No, _my_ work is dangerous!" he cuts you off. "I have _never_ lost anyone before! That's because _I_ am a good leader!"

You are defeated. There is nothing you can say that can counter any of Kohaku's arguments.

He finally calms down. "If you are really his friend, you'll convince him to give up this treasure hunting business. Save your own life as well as many others from his faulty leadership."

Is he right? Should you convince Marcel to give up treasure hunting?

A. No  
B. Yes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/vKi7ta8.png](https://i.imgur.com/vKi7ta8.png)  
>  Okay, several notes:
> 
> I keep promising that we'll be getting to the heist "soon", and "soon" never seems to come. So I started this chapter with the intent on ending it right before or during the heist. Next thing I know, it's Sunday night and I have work the next morning. So I made this choice and ended it here. This one might have some ramifications on the friendship between Marcel and the protagonist, if handled the wrong way.
> 
> Also we have another cameo from Nate! So, I find it funny that Sam, most likely spending the two years he's been out before UC4, versing himself in modern technology, like the internet and smartphones while Nate still owns a flip phone. Now, I think him not knowing what google is is a stretch, but I'll edit the line out as soon as I think of something better. But I do think him not knowing Harry Potter is completely plausible.
> 
> And I'm writing this like it's a visual novel with branching paths. Early on there was at least one choice that led to Nate going missing in Peru and the protagonist tagging along with Sam and Sully to go find him. Since we're not going down that path, Nate doesn't go missing and decides to leave the country when things get dangerous. Also the bisexual thing is justification in case romancing Nadine (or even Chloe) was in the cards.
> 
> Also, if you want ChloexNadine to happen ('cause right now it's one-sided) we'll first need to rescue Chloe and convince her to consider returning Nadine's feelings. Maybe the bisexual thing can help with that.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	20. At Long Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I'm not actually sure what time zone AO3 officially operates under, but it's still Monday in my time zone for...three more hours. And that chapter title is very, very, meta.
> 
> So the lateness of this chapter is a result of a few factors: the length, my change in work schedule (they put me back on five days a week instead of four), the choice (it's one of those that drastically change the chapter so I couldn't really work on it until I closed the poll), and the fact that everything seemed to distract me this week. But, it's out (relatively) on time, so there.
> 
> Oh, by the way, I'm warning you now, we're getting into dangerous territory, that means a string of bad decisions will lead to a bad (and maybe premature) ending. Don't worry, a bad ending just means we have to start over. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!
> 
> Oh, and I recently figured out what Cleena's voice is, so I went back and I changed her dialogue in previous chapters to reflect this.

Out and About  
**Choice A: No.**  
**At Long Last**

Jobs go wrong all the time--you know it, and you are sure Sam, Sully and even Nadine knows it. It is not reflective of Marcel as a leader, as least you do not think so.

You do not dignify his request with a response. You inform Sam and Kohaku that you are going to bed and you go back in the house.

When you return to the bedroom, both Sully and Nadine seem to be asleep, so you quickly slip into bed. Not too long after, you hear Sam enter and feel him climb into bed.

"Hey," you hear him say, "Are you going to talk to Marcel?"

"No," you reply, "Who am I to tell him that he should give up this life?"

He seems to accept this and bids you goodnight. You drift off to sleep after a few minutes.

When you awake, you find that you feel restricted. Sam has almost quite literally attached himself to you. His arms are wrapped around you, holding you against his body and his head is resting in the crook of your neck. The way he is holding you is not romantic or lustful in the slightest; in fact, it seems almost needy. You try to wriggle out of his grasp, but he has a firm grip on you.

"Sam," you groan groggily, "Wake up."

You nudge his head with your own, and he stirs. At first, he shifts his grip to a more comfortable one--for you at least. He opens his eyes to look at you sleepily, and you look back at him, not sure what to do or say. It takes him a moment to process what is happening, but when he does, he releases you immediately.

"Sorry," he apologizes.

"It's fine," you assure him, "I just wanted to get up."

"What time is it?" he asks.

You look at the clock on the wall: it is nine in the morning--ten hours before the event.

Sam groans when you inform him. "How much preparation do you think we'll need?"

"As much as possible," you tell him as you sit up.

The bedroom door opens and Nadine emerges. "Good, you're awake. We need to check our equipment."

"Didn't we do that with Murky?" he yawns.

"We're checking it again," she insists. "The last thing we need is for it to fail during a crucial moment."

"Alright, alright." He sits up. "Just let me shower and everything and I'll be right out."

"You have fifteen minutes," she informs him. As she is about to leave she remembers to tell you, "Cleena says not to wash your hair when you shower. The servants are going to do it for you this afternoon."

"Okay," you say, surprised as she backs out of the room.

"Well I'd better get up before she kills me." Sam gets out of bed. He gives you a sly look, "I don't suppose you want to shower together."

"Maybe if we're low on hot water," you quibble.

"I'll hold you to that," he winks.

While he goes to take a shower, you find no harm in going around the house in your pajamas. When you leave the basement, you see Nadine with all of the equipment on the table, checking over everything. She informs you that Sully is upstairs, getting coffee, so you go there to join him.

You find the kitchen and you see Sully talking to Momoko in Japanese, the two of them drinking coffee. When you approach them, Momoko bows in greeting, asking if you slept well.

"Yeah," you reply, "But not as good as you did, I'm sure."

The maid is flustered for a moment but continues, "Yes, thank you for asking."

Either she is hiding the fact that she slept with Kohaku the night before or something got lost in translation.

"I was just telling Momoko that she makes a damn good espresso," Sully says. "It's much better than that swill from the coffee shop near the office."

"Maybe I should bring one down to Sam," you suggest.

"Oh! Allow me," Momoko offers.

She quickly makes an espresso and goes to bring it downstairs.

"I see you slept well," Sully points out.

You shrug, "It's hard to disturb me when I sleep. But Sam had a really good grip on me."

"Yeah, that's the problem with sharing a bed with him," he tells you.

You go to take some coffee, but you find that you do not know how to work the espresso machine.  You groan as you realize that Momoko went to serve Sam--who was not even in the room--before you.

"She's pretty dense, isn't she?" you ask, referring to Momoko.

Sully cannot help but agree, "But she's very sweet, I'll give her that much."

That is when Marcel enters the room, " _Ohayou_. I hope Nadine passed on my message about not washing your hair."

You nod. "I didn't even shower yet."

"You should, but you can keep the pajamas on," he advises. "Cleena's getting the parlor ready for your transformation this afternoon. And Kohaku's servants will help you into your suit Mr. Sullivan."

"So what's our itinerary tonight?" Sully asks.

"The event starts at six," Marcel explains, "You'll arrive there just a little after seven--to be fashionably late, you see."

"Of course," Sully agrees. "So what will you be doing?"

"I will be making preparations," is all he says.

What that really means is: "I'm not getting involved."

You know this, but that's how all jobs with Marcel go. He is there for the preparations, but he is not involved to see it through. That is fine, you do not need him anyway.

You ask Marcel if he knows how to work the espresso machine so you can finally have some coffee. He complies and makes you some espresso.

When you have the espresso, you bring something Kohaku said last night up, "So Kohaku said that your family has connections to military suppliers."

Marcel reacts the same way he did when Cleena's profession was brought up--he freezes and becomes uncomfortable.

"M-my father does know military suppliers," he finally confirms.

"That shouldn't come as a surprise," Sully says. "Murky Darrow--the guy who supplied our tech for the job is a military supplier."

"Mr. Darrow is different," Marcel explains. "He mostly associates with treasure hunters."

"Not entirely," Sully objects, "I know a few hitmen who've bought his stuff." When the playboy is speechless, he goes on, "You do realize I know him personally, right?"

"It's not that big a deal," you try to assure him, "Treasure hunting isn't exactly a bloodless career."

"My family's history is…complicated," Marcel tells you. "I don't want to get into it." He excuses himself and leaves.

You frown. "I never knew he had so many skeletons in his closet."

"Well, you never can tell with some people," Sully reasons. Then, he gets a text. "Looks like Momoko's bothering Nadine, let's see if I can get her away."

The next few hours pass by excruciatingly slow--you wonder if that is because of your anxiety. Sure, this was not unlike any job you have had before, but that never stopped your nerves from getting to you. As much as you want to entertain yourself by playing cards or watching something with your partners, Nadine is very adamant about making sure the equipment is in top shape. You spend the time reading your book and helping Sam and Nadine test equipment.

The only thing they really need help testing are the earpieces. They are small enough to fit into your ear inconspicuously and just powerful enough to pick up your voice even if you are whispering. However, Nadine is not satisfied unless she can test it on long distances.

"Marcel won't let us leave to test these things," you remind her.

"Then how else are we going to make sure they work properly?" she asks.

"We'll just have to make do, alright?" Sully reasons. "We knew going in that we don't have a lot of time to prepare. Besides, Murk's equipment is top-notch, we don't have to worry."

"Let's hope not," Sam chimes in.

There is more testing for another few hours, until Momoko takes you away to get your hair washed. It is done by a woman who does not speak English in a makeshift hair washing basin in the first floor bathroom.  When you are finished, you see Cleena for the first time that day, she announces that she will be taking you to get your hair and makeup done, and quickly takes you away.

As you approach the parlor, you see other female servants getting their stations set up to do hair and makeup--including Momoko. The only privacy you are getting is a translucent curtain hanging in the entryway. You hope Marcel does not take a peek at you while you are changing.

As Cleena ushers you into the parlor, you cannot help but think about what Kohaku said last night. "Hey, Kohaku said you were pissed because--"

"Oh don' worry about me," she assures you. "I can live with not gettin' shagged for another day longer. If anythin' I should be pissed at Momoko, she was the one who shagged me husband."

Momoko became very shy and embarrassed. " _Go_ - _gomen_ \--"

Cleena says something to her in Japanese that makes her feel better. Then, she turns back to you, "I don' suppose he gave you a good shag las' night did he?"

You are growing annoyed by the repeating of the word "shag".

"No," you say.

"Well why not?" She crossed her arms. "By the way Marcel was bletherin' on about it, I'd think somethin' would've happened between you."

You are confused. "What exactly did Marcel say?"

She grows annoyed, but not particularly at you. "He said that Samuel is off-limits and that I should be ashamed of meself for moving in on another woman's territory."

You are about to correct her, but you figure that Marcel had a good reason for saying that.

Without further ado, you sit down and allow the servants to put your makeup on and do your hair. You remain as still as possible as they get everything ready. It feels like forever, but they finally finish. After you take off you pajamas, Cleena helps you into your dress and your transformation is almost complete. You are about to ask her if she has any jewelry for you to wear, but it turns out, she already has a jewelry box ready for you.

"It wouldn' look very appealin' if you weren't wearin' any accessories, would it?" she reasons. "After all, the goal is to look like you belong."

You agree, of course.

You choose several pieces of orange and violet color in order to match the dress. The servants as well as Cleena help you get the jewelry on. When they are finished, they bring you over to a mirror.

For a moment, you do not recognize yourself, you are completely transformed. You look absolutely stunning, like you are the rich woman that you are pretending to be.

"Now look at you lass," Cleena admires you, "You look pure tidy." You take pause at her word choice, but you assume it means "nice" or something similar. "Now how 'bout we show you off to the lads?"

She says something to Momoko in Japanese, and she leaves the parlor ahead of you and Cleena. When you ask her what she is doing, she just tells you that it would be appropriate for the moment.

The two of you head for the stairs to the basement, where Momoko is waiting. She and Cleena have a brief exchange that you cannot understand. Then, Momoko hears something, looks downstairs, and nods to Cleena before going down.

"Go on." She gestures for you to go downstairs.

As you climb down the steps, you hear Momoko introduce you, as if you are some rich debutant--it sure felt like you are. When you reveal yourself, everyone in the room--which was Sam, Sully, Nadine and Marcel--are at a loss for words.

Marcel, however, had some idea of what to say, "Wow, you look--"

"Gorgeous," is the only thing to come out of Sam's mouth.

"You definitely clean up nice," Sully adds.

He is dressed in his tuxedo and ready to go. The vest underneath his jacket, as well as his bow tie, was a green color that complemented the color of your dress. Honestly, it felt like the two of you are dressed for prom.

Another servant comes down the stairs and says something to Marcel in Japanese, before returning upstairs.

"The car is here for Miss Ross and Mr. Drake," he explains.

"Finally," Nadine sighs as she picks a bag up from off the floor. "Don't forget the other one Drake." She walks past you up the flight of stairs.

"Yeah, yeah," he says as he picks up the other bag. When he goes past you, he stops. "I'll see you later."

You smile and nod at him as he leaves. You wish that he could stay longer, but it cannot be helped.

"Your car should be here in less than an hour," Marcel tells you. "I suggest the two of you wait upstairs."

"And try not to move around too much," Cleena advises. "We don' need your hair messin' up before you get there."

You and Sully wait in the dining room while the car arrives. Momoko offers to bring you something to eat, but you decline, not having any appetite.

"Nervous?" Sully wonders.

"It's like any other job," you answer honestly. "My nerves always get to me with undercover work."

"You need to learn to relax," he suggests, "Getting nervous only makes things worse."

"Oh, I know." You lean back in your seat. "It's just hard not to be nervous."

That is when Kohaku enters the room, clad in his karate outfit.

"You didn't talk to him," he says.

"No," you reply.

He scoffs, "Then I'm here to wish you luck. You're going to need it."

"We'll be fine," you attempt to convince him.

"That being said," he continues, ignoring your statement, "If something goes wrong tonight, I'm having your belongings sent to a safehouse in Nishi _-ku_. I'm not risking a gang war over Marcel's whims."

"That's considerate of you," Sully says.

"It's the most I can do," he tells him. He turns back to you. "Marcel got you into this mess. For your sake, you better know how to get out of it."

With that, he leaves, passing Cleena on the way out. The two have a brief exchange before he goes toward his dojo, while she enters the dining room with a purse.

"Marcel told me you'd be needin' a purse," she explains, "This is the biggest one I can find. I already packed it with what you need, includin' your cell phone, if you don' mind."

You did and you did not at the same time. You take the purse and examine its contents: the signal hijacker, your cell phone, pepper spray--you are thankful for the extra protection--the communication devices for you and Sully, as well as an extra one just in case. You also find that the purse contains about twenty tampons.

When asked about it, Cleena says, "You want to make friends quickly? Give out some tampons. I've gotten meself out of a couple of tight spots by tradin' favors for tampons."

You realize how grateful you would be to someone who could help you out of a tight jam like that, but you figure that the odds of something like that popping up are very slim.

After a while, Marcel enters the room and announced that your car is ready.

"Ooh, wait, lemme get my camera," Cleena stops you.

Marcel sighs, "Cleena, we don't have time--"

"But look at 'em, they look all dressed up for prom!" she tries reasoning with him.

"No." He puts his foot down.

"Fine," she relents and leaves the room.

When you get to the shoe cubby, Marcel points out your shoes to wear for the occasion. You are wearing dark-colored flats, which you are thankful for, since high-heels are such a chore to wear. Marcel walks you out to the car, which was incredibly expensive-looking compared to the other cars he has ordered for you over the last two days.

"I will be in contact with Miss Ross," he explains as he sees you off, "Let her know if anything comes up."

"Right," Sully nods, "Thanks."

The driver steps out of the car and opens the back seat for you and Sully to climb into. You thank him as you climb inside, unsure if he even understands English. You get your seatbelt on as Sully climbs in. You take the opportunity to give him his earpiece as you put yours in.

It is not a long drive to the gallery at all, even though the driver took many unnecessary detours--as per Marcel's instructions, you are sure. When you arrive, the driver goes around to open the door on your side, helping out of the car, with Sully right behind you. You grab his arm as the two of you walk toward the house. There is a bouncer dressed in an expensive suit standing next to the door; he asks for an invitation, which Sully pulls out from inside his jacket. After getting a good look at the invitation, the bouncer lets the two of you in and tells you to enjoy yourself.

When you step inside, you forget for a moment that you are inside what used to be someone's residence. In the main hallway, there are paintings strewn about the walls with placards next to them with information regarding the painting. There is even an information desk at the very end, with a Japanese woman standing behind it, bidding everyone welcome.

" _Irasshaimase_ and _bienvenue,_ " the woman says to you. "Welcome to _la galerie Brodeur_." She switches languages so seamlessly--you wonder if she is fluent in them all.

"Was that English, Japanese _and_ French I heard?" you hear Sam ask in your ear. He and Nadine have turned their earpieces on.

"French shouldn't be a surprise," Nadine says, "The man who owns it is French after all."

When you and Sully thank the woman for her greeting and move on, he brushes his mustache and tells them, "I hope we won't hear too much chatter from you two."

"Not from me," Nadine assures him, "I can't say the same for Drake though."

"Hey, we need to stay in complete contact with each other, right?" Sam reminds you all. "I'm just making sure nothing slips through the cracks. That being said, I've been watching the door for the last hour. I can't make out any faces, but from the looks of it, this event's being attending by mostly foreigners."

"That's weird," you mutter.

"No kidding," he agrees. "I can count on one hand the number of Asians I've seen go in, and I'm not entirely sure if they were Asian."

"Maybe the Japanese have enough sense not to attend an event named for a well-known yakuza figurehead," Sully suggests. He pulls you away to look at some of the paintings. "Foreigners aren't exactly in the know for that sort of thing. It would make more sense for us to keep an eye out for anyone who is Japanese."

He has a point, you also decide that if he is yakuza, he might make an effort to hide the fact by covering up any tattoos.

The painting you find yourself looking at is one of Pablo Picasso's early works--you can tell by the style. You wonder if this one was bought by Brodeur himself back when Picasso was still alive. But there is something off about this one; you take a closer look at it. You try to look for the texture of the paint on the canvas, but it is not there--the entire painting is smooth, as if…

"This was printed on poster paper," you realize.

"What?" Sully is surprised.

"Look, this isn't a canvas at all," you get him to look closer.

After a while, he sees what you mean. "You're right, it's hard to tell with the glass, but the paper's glossy."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Sam asks in your ear.

"This painting was stolen, Sam," you whisper. "Probably recently, since it hasn't been discovered yet, and it's pretty obvious, all things considered."

You and Sully move onto the next painting, a portrait by Amedeo Modigliani. Once again, this one had the smooth, glossy texture of the Picasso.

"This one was stolen too," you point out.

You move onto the next one, an early modernism piece by Arthur Dove.

"Now I know for a fact this one was stolen," Sully says. "It's been floating around on the black market for the last five years."

It was exactly the same as the other two, printed on poster paper.

You can hear Sam's disbelief, "Jesus, aren't any of the paintings there real?"

"They've been robbing the gallery blind," Sully adds.

"What about the painting we're looking for?" You can hear the worry in Nadine's voice.

"I don't think Uematsu's stupid," you tell her. "He's probably already had an art expert look at the painting and make sure it's real enough."

"'Real enough'?" Sam repeats your words.

"It could be a convincing fake," you reason. "But if he's going this far, then it has to be at least worth the trouble."

" _Bonsoir_." You turn around and see a man in a _very_ expensive suit greeting you in a French accent. "I am Martin Brodeur, the owner of the Brodeur gallery." Sully introduces himself with a handshake and introduces you as his fiancé. For some reason, Brodeur seems to find this very amusing, "Well, I suppose we all have our different tastes."

You realize that he is referring to the age difference between the two of you. It is enough to get you annoyed, but you do not have a comeback.

Then, you hear Nadine recite a French phrase in your ear, " _Je préfère mes hommes puissants._ "

You repeat the phrase as closely as possible to her pronunciation, and it is enough to get Brodeur flustered. "Y-yes, I suppose…if that is your preference…" It takes him a moment to regain his composure. "I just wanted to inform my guests that there are refreshments upstairs and the band will being playing shortly. I invite you to go and enjoy yourselves."

The two of you thank him and head for the stairs.

"Nadine, I didn't know you knew French," Sully says to her.

"Just one of the few phrases I've memorized," she brushes it off.

"What did I say to him anyway?" you have to ask.

"It…loses something in the translation," she replies.

Sam does not believe her. "Sure it does."

When you get upstairs you find that most of the second floor has been renovated to look even more like a museum, fit with florescent lights on the ceiling, and many pieces of art like sculptures and pots spaced evenly in the middle of the floor. Most of the guests have taken to congregating here, where the food is. There are a few people with various musical instruments in the corner, performing their tune-up. Wanting to blend in, you and Sully head for the food table and help yourselves to some finger food while you get a good look at the room.

"If this is where all the action is, it's probably where the painting is," Sully reasons.

You look at the people in the room, and someone catches your eye--an intimidating-looking Japanese man wearing a turtleneck sweater with a sports jacket over it. He is watching the floor like a hawk, not averting his gaze from a single detail. Your eyes lock for a moment and you immediately look away.

"Sully," you whisper, "Ten o'clock, turtleneck."

Sully immediately recognizes the man for who he is. "Shit, you've got him looking right at us."

"What's going on there Victor?" Sam sounds concerned.

He brings his hand up to his mouth to brush his mustache, "I think we just found Uematsu, and he won't stop staring at us."

Panic wracks Nadine's voice. "If your cover's blown--"

"It's not, yet," he tries to assure her.

But it will be if you do not get him to stop staring at you. You wrack your brain for options. You can do nothing, just make it seem like you are just two strangers who made awkward eye contact; it might take long, but eventually he will have to look away. You can examine a painting near where he is standing and pretend that you never meant to look at him in the first place. Or, you can do something completely unexpected and confront Uematsu about him staring at you; sure, it is stupid, but hopefully, it will be stupid enough to get his suspicions off you.

So, how will you deal with Uematsu?

A. Do nothing.  
B. Examine a painting.  
C. Confront him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/bOkmM6U.png](https://i.imgur.com/bOkmM6U.png)(I realize it's fairly early in the day, but I really don't think either of the choices are gonna beat out the winner)  
>  That was so long, but I'm glad we finally got to the gallery. From here on out, it's serious business.
> 
> And the only hints I'm going to give are whether or not the choices lead directly to a bad ending. It wouldn't be any fun if I told you the answers, would it?
> 
> And I'll take this time to say that I'm glad that you're all enjoying my story. I'm enjoying the fact that I can stick to a weekly update schedule for going on...four months! I really think this format is working out for me, so I think I'm going to stick to this format for future stories (barring any side projects I decide to post).
> 
> Oh, and translate the French phrase that Nadine told the protagonist to say, I think finding out about it afterwards completes the joke.
> 
> Thanks for reading, now if you'll excuse me, I have to get a head-start on the next chapter.


	21. Meetings and Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, anything I have to say about this chapter I'll say it in the ending notes.
> 
> Oh, but there's something else I wanna say.
> 
>  
> 
> [**I will be streaming on Twitch Tuesdays and Thursdays at around 4PM EST** (Twitch Username: Mars1040)](https://www.twitch.tv/mars1040)
> 
>  
> 
> At the time of this posting, I will be playing **Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (UC1)** and hopefully from then on I'll be playing the rest of the series. So if you wanna talk to me about the story or just hang out while we find out just how buggy and broken the first Uncharted game (spoiler: it's really broken, NPCs have sunken into the floor on-stream), come drop by. And don't worry, streaming doesn't take my time away from writing.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Examine a painting.**  
**Meetings and Reunions**

You turn to Sully. "Why don't we check out that painting? The one that's 'coincidentally' next to Uematsu."

He understands immediately. "Sure, let's take a look-see."

The two of you across the room and brush past Uematsu to look at a piece of artwork handing on a wall behind him. Fortunately, it is something you can easily identify.

"Isn't this one interesting honey?" You put on the act of being Sully's fiancé. "It's an engraving by Albrecht Durer!"

"What is so interesting about it?" You look behind you and see Uematsu standing behind you wearily.

You keep up your act in hopes of getting him to leave you alone. "Just look at all the detail! This had to have taken so much time!"

He nods in agreement. "Yes, that is noteworthy. Tell me, how did you know this one was here? From your perspective, I was blocking this one from your view."

He is onto you.

There has to be something you can say to throw him off.

Luckily, Sam is a quick thinker, "You've been here before."

"I've been here before silly," you playfully inform him. "When I heard that my fiancé received an invitation to this event, I had to come along to show him exactly what is so wonderful about this place."

"I see." Uematsu looked to Sully. "Have we met before?"

"Can't say that we have," he replies. He holds out his hand, "Victor Sullivan."

He shakes his hand, "Uematsu Irou. I don't suppose you know who I am."

"Sure I do." You heart stops when Sully says this, but it starts back up again when he continues, "It's for your foundation they're holding this charity event for, right?"

"You are very perceptive," Uematsu compliments him. "I tried to 'meet-and-greet' the other guests, but they were _painfully_ unaware of what this event is for."

"Well, I like to stay informed," he explains.

The more the conversation goes on, the more you realize that this provides the perfect distraction for Uematsu.

"Honey," you get Sully's attention, "I'm going to go wash up, will you be okay?"

"Sure sweetheart," he says to you, "I'll just be talking to Uematsu- _san_ in the meantime."

As Uematsu compliments him on getting the name and honorific right, you casually stroll about the room, looking for the painting you need. Along the way, you are stopped when someone gently grabs your arm while walking past you. It is a woman, who is almost Caucasian, but not quite, accompanied by a man who is definitely white.  

"I'm sorry," the woman apologizes, "I just wanted to compliment you on your dress."

You thank her. She is wearing a burgundy dress with a slit down the side of the skirt with her dark hair hanging down past her shoulders. You compliment her in return, which she seems to take pretty well.

The two of you part ways as you approach the scroll. When you see it, you can tell it is real judging by the texture.

"We got eyes on the prize," you whisper.

"Where?" Sam asks.

"Second floor, southern wall, fourth from the left," you tell him.

"Okay…it'd be nice if I had some context," he says.

You are in shock, "Marcel didn't give you blueprints for this place?"

"He ordered them, but they won't be ready until tomorrow," Nadine explains.

" _Tomorrow_?" you wheeze, trying your best to keep your voice down. "It's not like someone has to draw them from scratch!"

"He didn't think it was necessary to put a rush on them," she continues. "I would have disagreed, but the earliest we can do the heist is tomorrow anyway."

You have to agree with her there. It is not like you are about to conduct the heist tonight anyway. You look at the wall and see motion detectors--it looks like there is more security on the second floor than the first.

"We have motion detectors on the walls," you inform Sam, "It looks like this won't be as easy as the first floor."

"Cameras?" he asks.

"None from what I can tell," you tell him. "I'm not about to go looking around to find any. It's bad enough that I'm whispering to myself here, and I'm probably spending too much time in front of the painting."

"Don't worry," he assures you, "Victor's keeping Uematsu completely occupied."

"This will be easier if you just plug in the signal hijacker," Nadine says, "You do have it, don't you?"

"Of course," you reply, "I just need a good place to plug it in. I don't see any outlets on this floor, so maybe I'll try the first floor."

You hear someone walking nearby so you decide to be quiet and study the scroll.

" _Buenas tadres, amiga_." It is not simply the use of Spanish that surprises you, but the voice.

You turn around and you are greeted with the face of Marikit Ishiuchi, a former associate of yours, stoic and unreadable as always. You are surprised you did not see her before, after all, she is one of the few Japanese people here, despite being born in the Philippines.

"Hi Mari," you reply to her in Spanish, as it is the only language you and her have in common. "What are you doing here?"

"Business, of course," is her curt answer. "And you? Business as well?"

"You can say that," you tell her without giving too much away.

She walks up beside you to look at the scroll. "'Yoritomo's Legacy,' a narrative scroll originally found in two pieces. Interesting how both of them found their way into a French diplomat's art collection."

"We've founded finer pieces of art in stranger places," you remind her.

"True," she agrees, "But the Brodeur Gallery is very obscure, how did you find this place?" She is mining you for information without giving away her intentions.

"By chance," is all you say.

She nods in acknowledgement, "And this event, you've heard of it by chance as well?"

"Probably a better chance than you," you point out. "I can count the number of Asian people here on one hand. And we're in _Japan_."

"So it would seem," she replies vaguely.

Finally, you get tired of the act. "Let's drop the act Mari, what are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you presumably," she tells you. "It seems that we are after the same prize."

"The scroll," you say.

"Yes, a scroll by an artist whose name faded into obscurity." She turns her whole body to you. "But do you know whose name isn't obscure?"

You take a sharp breath. "Minamoto Yoritomo."

"They say that this scroll will reveal the location of the resting place of his katana," she explains. 

"That's interesting," you say, becoming cryptic yourself. "I would think that a Japanese warlord would have more than one katana at his disposal."

"This was his most treasured one," she tells you. "But let's change the subject for a moment."

You are hesitant. "Sure."

"I'm sorry to hear about your last job," she gives her sympathies. "Perhaps you should pick your jobs wisely next time."

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," you mutter, embarrassed by the humiliation your previous employer brought you.

"I tried to recommend you for a job I had to turn down for this one in Barcelona," she continues, "But my word doesn't carry much clout. I swear, the only person who would be willing to hire you is Marcel Lister." Your face pales as you realized that she has figured out who hired you. "And that's Victor Sullivan you are with, he's never been one to actually participate in a heist for a simple target such as the Brodeur Gallery."

She has figured out everything already, most likely from the moment she saw you with Sully. And you have figured out her motive as well: she is working for Uematsu, finding the katana. Hell, Uematsu is probably stringing Sully along to give you a false sense of security so you could reveal yourself.

You curse yourself for not figuring this out sooner.

"What are you doing? Get out of there!" You hear Sam's voice in your ear.

"I'm sorry, I need to go," you apologize as you head straight for the bathroom.

When you get to the bathroom, your first instinct is to wash your face, but when you get to the sink, you realize that washing your face would wipe the makeup off. So, you do nothing, just look down at the sink.

"What happened?" Nadine demands to know.

"Who was that?" Sam asks.

You quickly glance at the stalls, making sure you are alone. "Marikit Ishiuchi, she's…another art thief."

"It sounded like you two knew each other pretty well." Sam is teasing you.

"It's not like that," you tell him, "She's…more of a rival than a friend."

"I can tell," he says, "With the way she was pressing you for information."

"She was pressing you for information?!" Nadine would sound furious if she was not worried.

Apparently, Nadine does not speak Spanish, so you inform her that she figured out that you are working for Marcel through process of elimination. And you, in return, have figured out that she is working for Uematsu.

Nadine is speechless on the other side.

"We're dead in the water," Sam says.

You give a heavy sigh, "Yeah. I don't know what to do now."

"Do you usually talk to yourself in empty bathrooms?" A woman's voice says to you from behind.

You spin around and see the woman in the burgundy dress standing by the door. When had she come in?

You do not know what to say to her. "I uh…I was just…"

"You know, I don't think I've properly introduced myself." She walks over to you and extends her hand. "Chloe Frazer, collector of antiquities."

You are dumbfounded. The last thing you expected was to meet Chloe at this event and here she is.

However, you ears are assaulted by Nadine almost shouting, "Chloe! Are you all right?"

"Oh my god!" you cry, holding the ear that holds the earpiece. "Destroy my eardrum why don't you?"

"Let me guess," she says, amused, "That was Nadine?" She gets closer to you and speaks into your ear, "Hello Nadine, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."

"You're working for Uematsu," you tell her. "You and your date."

"Date? What date?" Nadine is sounding a little jealous.

"Why don't you let her talk?" Sam berates her. "Jesus, and you complain about me talking too much."

"Ah, about that," she begins. "I was minding my own business when I get grabbed off the street. I woke up Uematsu's prisoner, and he gave me a choice, help him find Minamoto's Katana, or die. It's not like I could refuse."

Everyone had already thought as much.

"And my date, well, that's a little complicated." She is about to go on, but you stop her, for Nadine's sake.

"So you recognized Sully and you put two and two together," you surmise.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," she confirms. "I would have approached you sooner, but I saw you being tailed by our art expert."

"Mari," you mutter.

"So you're already acquainted with her," she says.

"Yeah." You change the subject, "So why meet with me now?"

"Ah, you see, _I_ was the one who convinced Uematsu to hold this event, so we can 'scope out the gallery'. Really, I was hoping that you would be able to find it."

It was sheer luck that you were able to find it. If you had not figured out there was more to the first painting, you never would have found the rest of the scroll, or the Brodeur gallery.

Still, there is something not quite right about this.

"We'll be performing the heist tomorrow night," she continues, "So that means you have to steal the painting _tonight_."

"Tonight?!" the same words come out of yours, Sam's and Nadine's mouths.

"Yes, tonight," she confirms, "Otherwise Uematsu will have the edge and there won't be any way for us to talk again. If we do it at the same time, he's going to suspect something. He already knows you're here so it won't be too farfetched for you to steal the painting before us."

You sigh as you realize there is not arguing with her. "Nadine, get in contact with Marcel, see if you can get him to order a rush on the blueprints."

"Already on it," she tells you.

"Right, so I'd better be going," Chloe starts to back out of the room. "If I'm in here too long, they're going to suspect something." With that, she leaves.

"At least we know she's all right," you mutter, as you turn to look at the mirror.

"Maybe now Nadine will stop being a bitch," Sam adds.

"Somehow, I doubt it," Sully chimes in.

"You finished talking to Uematsu?" you ask.

"Yeah, you wouldn't tell he's a dangerous yakuza figurehead by talking to him," Sully goes on.

"Well in case you didn't hear all of that," you begin, "We're in some serious shit."

"I gathered. Any idea what we're gonna do now?" he asks.

"Well we got Uematsu and that Spanish girl watching you two over there so…" Sam does not have any ideas.

"We still have to set up that signal hijacker," you remind them both. You are trying to think of something to do.

"We could try cutting the power," Sam suggests.

"I don't suppose you know where the circuit breaker is located," Sully points out.

"We don't need the power cut," you say, "We just need…something."

You see someone enter the bathroom, so you pretend to fix your hair. It is an embarrassed-looking woman.

"Excuse me," she gets your attention, "Do you speak English?" You nod, so she continues, "Do you happen to have any tampons or sanitary pads?"

You immediately recall Cleena's words about trading tampons for favors. Perhaps this woman can do something for you in exchange for a tampon…and you cannot believe you just thought that.

"I have some," you tell her. "But can you do me a small favor in exchange?"

She is relieved. "Of course!"

You fish into your purse and pull out one of the wrapped sticks and give it to her. She takes it and hurries into one of the stalls.

While she is doing that, you have time to think about what exactly the favor should be. Some kind of a distraction would be nice, but what would really distract Uematsu and Marikit? Or, perhaps you can give her the hijacker, say it's a Wi-Fi repeater or something so she would not think it's suspicious, although it is still very suspect. Any way you think about it, these are your only two options.

Which one will it be?

A. Create a distraction.  
B. Give her the signal hijacker.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://imgur.com/pgkNBHt](https://imgur.com/pgkNBHt)
> 
> Now, I have so much to say.
> 
> Once again, think your choices out thoroughly, too many bad decisions will lead to bad endings. But I won't tell you what's a bad decision and what's not because everything can be salvaged with some quick thinking, and smarter choices later on.
> 
> Still not adding Chloe or the ChloexNadine tags since at this point, I'm not sure how much of Chloe we'll actually see. I don't wanna lure the ChloexNadine shippers on false promises.
> 
> And before you ask: Marikit is NOT the protagonist's ex-girlfriend. Marikit doesn't get romantically involved with her associates...I'm not sure if she gets romantically involved with anyone right now.
> 
> You may be wondering who Chloe's date is. Well...we'll just have to find out later, won't we?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	22. "He's Not Cut Out For This Line Of Work"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those interested: [**I will be streaming Uncharted 1 on Twitch Tuesdays and Thursdays at around 4PM EST** (Twitch Username: Mars1040)](https://www.twitch.tv/mars1040)
> 
> Yes, I will keep posting that because I can. I also stream other games at random intervals, like The Sims 2!
> 
> ...I spent all of Friday playing The Sims 2 instead of working on the story. But it ended up being short anyway!
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Create a distraction.**  
_**"He's Not Cut Out For This Line Of Work"** _

It would make more sense if she creates the distraction. Though one alone will not be enough, you will have to instruct Sully to fake Uematsu and Marikit out by pretending to plant something elsewhere. With all eyes off you, you can sneak down to the first floor, and--depending on what exactly the distraction is--you can get the guards to go upstairs while you plant the signal hijacker. There, you have it.

The woman emerges from the stall. "Thank you so much, now what did you need me to do?"

"I need you to make a huge distraction out there," you explain. "You see, I dropped my phone downstairs, and my fiancé would kill me if I ended up losing it--I've lost so many--"

"Say no more," she stops you. "I'm the same way, my husband gets annoyed every time I lose one. He just gets me last year's model now."

You sigh in relief as convincingly as possible, "I'm so glad you understand."

She nods. "I'm prone to fainting, especially on my period, I'll just pretend to faint in about five or so minutes."

"Thank you so much," you say to her.

"It's the least I can do," she assures you.

When she leaves, you look back to the mirror. "Sully, I need you to fake out Uematsu."

"Fake out? How--? Sully is about to object, but you stop him.

"I have a distraction set up," you explain, "When it happens, I need you to pretend to plant something upstairs."

"And you're going to plant the signal hijacker downstairs," he gathers. "I gotcha."

You leave the bathroom, you look around the room, making it look like you are searching for Sully.

Then, all of a sudden, you hear, "Nydia! Oh my god! Someone, help!"

With a glance in the direction, the cries are coming from, you quickly rush down the stairs to "get help.” There are two guards, both of whom are Japanese, confused as to why you would rush down there.

"There's a woman who needs help upstairs!" You tell them, hoping the urgency in your voice can get the message across.

They look to each other and quickly go upstairs, leaving you alone in the room. You take the opportunity to look for an obscure outlet to plug the hijacker in. For some reason, there is an armchair that is not quite up against the wall. When you go to investigate it, you see an empty outlet, perfect for the signal hijacker. You plug it in and hope that no one else finds it.

"Done," you say when you finish.

You hear Sam's voice, "Good, now let's see if I can get this working--"

" _I'll_ do that." Nadine has returned. "Keep an eye on the gallery."

"I'm doing it," he mutters. "I have three guards around the perimeter, it looks like they all have the same routine, they just do it at different times."

"Nadine," you begin, "Is Marcel getting the blueprints?"

"I didn't talk to him," she replies, "I left a message in his voicemail."

" _What_?" you squeak, trying to keep your voice down. "Why didn't he answer? He knows that this is important!"

"It's almost like he's not cut out for this line of work," Sam vaguely reminds you of Kohaku's words the night before.

You are beginning to think he is right, but now is not the time to argue about that. You return upstairs where the commotion is dispersing. Uematsu has not moved from his spot, and is focused on Sully, who is standing by the food table. You make your way over to the crowd, since approaching Sully from the stairs would look suspicious.

"Is she all right?" you ask one of the onlookers.

"Yes," he says, "Apparently, she is a frail woman. I don't see how her husband could take her out in such a condition."

You only nod in response. You look to the woman, her husband is helping her up off the floor. The two of you make eye contact and you give her a thumbs up in thanks. You then go to find Sully.

"I hacked into the gallery's camera system," you hear Nadine. "Where did you put the hijacker?"

"First floor, near the stairs, behind an armchair," you tell her.

"Good, that area's just barely a blind spot," she informs you.

"Then we should be good." You find Sully at the food table.

"Is there anything else we need to do tonight?" Sully asks.

"I need to memorize the layout of this place," you say. "I don't think we're getting blueprints anytime soon."

The rest of the time is uneventful. When you try to go downstairs with Sully to get a good feel of the layout of the first floor, Brodeur keeps ushering you upstairs to enjoy the party. You have to wonder why, especially since he seems to be remaining downstairs.

Nadine is doing a good job of getting information from the signal hijacker. She informs you that she can disable the motion sensors on the walls the moment the last guest leaves.

People do not start leaving until ten o'clock, when the event officially ends, but you know better. People usually take forever to leave, especially those who arrived late in the first place. You and Sully are among the first to leave as per Marcel's instructions via Nadine. There is an expensive car ready to take you away from the gallery, you are not sure where to.

The car takes you away from Yamate and into the shopping district. The car pulls into a parking garage, and stops. The driver says something in Japanese to you.

"This is where we get out," Sully tells you.

The two of you step out of the car and you see Marcel leaning up against another, albeit cheaper car. It appears he is in one of his rare bad moods. Wordlessly, he opens the car door, allowing you and Sully to step into the backseat of the car. When Marcel says something to the driver in Japanese, the car leaves the garage.

He is strangely quiet throughout the entire time, you have to wonder if it has something to do with the fact that you have to perform the heist tonight.

After a long drive filled with uncomfortable silence, you found yourself back in the Yamate district, at a house you do not recognize. Marcel thanks the driver and leads you and Sully inside. Once inside, you see two sets of dark clothes and shoes folded neatly on a nearby table. Marcel hands you one set and directs you to the bathroom to change and to bring the dress and shoes to him.

You follow his instructions and find the bathroom with ease. You change out of the dress and into the more comfortable clothes. When you emerge from the bathroom, Marcel takes the dress and tells you to go to the top floor.

You do so, and see equipment set up near a window that has a good view of the gallery--this was the building that Sam and Nadine were staked out in. Nadine is there looking out the window with a pair of binoculars, dressed in different clothes than what she was wearing before--they are dark, just like your clothes.

"Marcel doesn't seem happy," you say.

"I wouldn't be either to be honest," she replies. "But we don't have a choice."

You look out the window and frown. "The gallery owner wouldn't let us go look around on the first floor." Down at the gallery, there are still guests leaving the event, you wonder if Nadine is looking for Chloe. "She's wearing a burgundy dress," you tell her.

She becomes self-conscious and lowers the binoculars. "You mentioned that Chloe had a date," she begins.

"Yeah, a white guy," you inform her.

"What did he look like?" she asks. When you raise an eyebrow, she quickly clarifies, "I'm trying to see if it's someone we know."

"Of course." She is obviously lying.

You try to recall, what did Chloe's date look like?

A. Tall.  
B. Short.  
C. Burly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/5WoqBMN.png](https://i.imgur.com/5WoqBMN.png) (Early update, brace yourselves.)
> 
> DON'T WORRY! You can relax with this one, there's no right or wrong answer, it's just based on your preference.
> 
> That being said, what could this mean? Why am I letting you guys decide what the protagonist thought Chloe's date looks like? I mean, I can tell you flat out, but that would ruin the surprise. Besides, I'm sure a few of you have figured it out by now.
> 
> I'm just hoping we'll get to see what this choice means. 'Cause when we get to the actual heist, we could probably get to a bad end if your choices aren't careful.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	23. Planning Stage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? An early update?
> 
> Yes, as you may or may not have read in the summary (I'm not sure how long it takes changes to publish on AO3) I'm changing the update day to Thursday instead of Monday because they gave me the opening shift at my job on weekends and that means I have to get up earlier and work harder. So it makes more sense for me to shift the majority of my writing time to the days where I don't work as hard.
> 
> But I have to wait for a short chapter if I wanna change back.
> 
> Once again for those interested: [**I will be streaming Uncharted 1 on Twitch Tuesdays and Thursdays at around 4PM EST** (Twitch Username: Mars1040)](https://www.twitch.tv/mars1040) (I had to skip today so I could get this chapter out)
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: Burly**  
_**Planning Stage** _

When you think back on his appearance, you are surprised you did not think anything of his burly build.

"He was pretty big, you know, muscular?" you tell Nadine. "And bald, definitely bald."

She says nothing and looks back out the window.

"Who are we talking about?" Sam approached the two of you in a dark change of clothes as well.

"Chloe's date," you say.

His eyes light up as he realizes that Nadine's jealousy is shining through.

"I think I see them," she finally speaks up. "…She looks beautiful."

"Let me see," Sam takes the binoculars to look down at the people leaving the gallery. "Hey isn't that…" He looks between you and Nadine, wanting to say something to the two of you, but for some reason, cannot.

"What're we looking at?" Sully asks as he joins you. He is out of his suit and dressed like the rest of you.

Sam hands him the binoculars. "Victor, bald guy next dark red dress, you can't miss the shine."

"It's burgundy," you correct him.

He is confused. "Isn't that what I said?"

"You said 'dark red', burgundy has purple mixed into it," you explain.

He shrugs, "It looks red to me."

You put your hands on your hips. "Are you arguing color theory to an art degree-holder?"

"That's Charlie Cutter," Sully says.

" _Charlie Cutter_?" Nadine sounds like she is in disbelief.

"How'd Charlie get roped into this?" Sam wonders.

"Who's Charlie Cutter?" you ask, being left out of the loop once again.

"He's an old friend of ours," Sam explains to you. "And a _close_ friend of Chloe's."

You understand immediately, at least Nadine's stance on the matter.

"If we're done over there," Marcel walks in and gets your attention, "We have work to do."

The five of you gather around a table with a large blank sheet of unrolled paper on it.

"So we don't have blueprints," you gather.

He sighs, "No, if I had been notified even _slightly_ earlier--"

"It's not my fault you don't answer your goddamn phone!" Nadine interrupts angrily and rightfully so.

You agree, but in a warmer tone than hers, "Yeah, Marcel, if you had just been in direct contact with us in the first place--"

"I was busy getting you this!" He places a piece of equipment on the table--sound equipment attached to a microphone. "It's a directional microphone, eavesdropping on the guards will be difficult when you don't know Japanese, but if you point this in their direction, Mr. Sullivan will be able to translate for you."

"So that means I'm staying behind?" Sully asks.

"Pardon my presumptions, but I thought it'd be wiser for the older of the four of you to stay behind," Marcel explains.

"I have no problems with it," the older man says. "Do any of you?"

"No, I'll be glad to get out and do something," Nadine tells him.

Sam has the same sentiment.

You look down at the microphone and cannot help but frown. Sure, knowing what the guards are saying is nice and all, but you would much rather have blueprints than something like this. You look to Sam and you can tell what he is thinking.

"Kohaku was right."

It is too late to bring up the topic to Marcel now, the damage is done. What you have to do now is make up for his shortcomings.

"Now," Marcel begins as he takes the equipment off the table, "Thanks to the signal hijacker, we do have some idea of what we are doing." He takes out some drawing tools. "We'll have to map out the gallery ourselves."

You frown even more. "Can we even do that?"

"It's better than nothing," Nadine says, half annoyed, half resigned. "Now draw what you know."

You sigh as you pick up a pencil and a ruler and map out what little you know of the gallery's layout, marking where you put the signal hijacker and where the painting is. Of the first floor, you only knew up to the stairs, so the only way in you are confident in is through the front door, but using that entryway is not very smart at all.

When you are finished, Nadine fills in the blanks with what she sees in the gallery's camera system; it is more detailed than you first thought. There are two more entrances, only used by the guards: one up the driveway on the side of the house leading into the kitchen, and one in the back that leads into the den. These two areas mainly serve as break areas for the guards, but it appears that they are not used very often, since they have to be on duty most of the time.

All of the entrances are locked with tumbler locks, which Sam can easily pick. However, when all the guests leave, you discover that the front door has an alarm that needs to be disarmed with a passcode on the keypad on both sides of the door. Fortunately, the way the camera is positioned, it is easy to see the codes the guards are using; it appears that they are assigned individual codes.

"So if we were to go in through the front, we'd have to pick a guard, knock him out and use his number," Sully says.

"We'll have to eliminate one anyway and ghost his patrol route," Nadine adds. "We'll have to choose one whose patrol takes him to the stairs, we don't want to risk getting spotted."

"It'd be even better if we didn't have to knock them out at all," you point out. "If they see someone unconscious--or worse, dead--they'll know something's up."

"Then how else do you expect to get in?" she asks you.

You do not have an answer.

Sam however, does. "There's a huge gap in the patrol up the driveway and there's no one patrolling the other side of the house."

Nadine takes the binoculars and looks at the gallery, "There are plenty of windows on that side, but there doesn't seem to be any on the driveway side."

"So we have options," Sully says, "We can waltz in through the front door, knock out a guard and ghost his route, go up the driveway, through the side door into the kitchen, or around the other side of the house into the back door where the den is."

"There's a guard with a secluded route that takes him through the front door and by the stairs," Nadine points out.

"Are you seriously suggesting that we go through the front door?" Sam is aghast.

"It's the only route she knows," she explains, referring to you.

While that is true, you are still against going in through the front door and eliminating a guard.

"Okay, but that's what the cameras are for," he explains, "You have this whole layout mapped out--like the kitchen area."

"There's a blind spot right by the door," she argues, "There could be a stationary guard there and we wouldn't even know about it."

"The back way then, around the house," he suggests, "Like I said, there's no one patrolling over there."

"How much sense does that make?" she snaps, "They obviously have guards look out the window from time to time."

"It's dark, there's plenty of bushes, no one's gonna see us!" he shoots back.

"Alright, that's enough," Sully puts a stop to this. "Can we all agree that none of these methods are one-hundred-percent foolproof?"

"Mr. Sullivan's correct," Marcel adds, "You have limited options, so why don't we consult our heist expert?"

"Good idea." Sam turns to you. "What do you think?"

You have to think hard about this; which is the best way into the gallery?

A. Front Door  
B. Side Entrance  
C. Back Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/AKJMomy.png](https://i.imgur.com/AKJMomy.png)
> 
> Okay, this is one of those choices that could set up a bad ending. Think carefully, really.
> 
> So, I'm going to talk about that last poll. For those of you who didn't get it: you were choosing between Harry Flynn, Rafe Adler and Charlie Cutter as Chloe's companion. I didn't spell it out for you since I wanted some element of surprise. Flynn is considered "Tall" since he's taller than Nate (who is already tall), Rafe is "Short" because he's the same height as Nadine (who is pretty short) and well, if you don't know why Cutter is "Burly" then I ask you to play the first third of Drake's Deception again.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	24. "Probably The Best Way In"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm sorry for the late update, but it was spring break. And no, I wasn't busy relaxing and slacking off, I was hard at work. Every day, I would come home, too tired to work. And that's why this update is late. 
> 
> Thanks for supporting! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: Back Way**  
_**"Probably The Best Way In"** _

"The back door is probably the best way in," you decide.

"Probably?" Nadine questions.

You realize that uncertainty has no place here. "It is the best way. Worst case scenario, they see the bushes rustling and they go to investigate and see nothing there. It's not like they don't have stray animals in Japan."

"See? It's our best option," Sam supports your choice.

Nadine finds that she cannot argue with you and accepts your decision. The exit to the den leads out near the stairs, so the back entrance is the quickest way to the stairs anyway. There is no patrol into the den since it is a break area so the only guards you would encounter would not be missed for quite some time.

Nadine will disable the motion detectors and knock the cameras offline before the three of you set out. Sully may not be able to look at the cameras, but neither will the guards at the gallery. Instead, he will be monitoring the radio frequency and keeping the group informed of whatever he hears. Since that is the case, you wonder why you would even need the directional microphone in the first place. However, since Marcel pretty much chose it over getting the blueprints, you take the microphone with you.

Marcel has gotten all of the equipment for you all. There are four pairs of binoculars--one for each of you so that you, Sam and Nadine can be on the same page while looking at something and for Sully, so he can keep an eye on the outside of the gallery while you are inside. There also is lockpicking equipment for Sam, and two silenced tranquilizer guns.

"We couldn't get real guns?" Sam asks.

"We can't risk killing these guys," you remind him. "Even if we don't get caught, we'll be considered murderers, and the cops will try even harder to find us."

He raises an eyebrow at you. "Do you realize how many unsolved murders there are in the _world_?"

"She's right," Marcel says, "Uematsu will know that we are behind this, and he will have no qualms about pointing the police in our direction. No killing."

Sam begrudgingly accepts this, and he and Nadine take the guns.

Nadine knocks out the motion detectors but does not disable the cameras quite yet. She is worried that if both systems go down at the same time, then they will quickly realize that something is wrong. Instead, she and Marcel give Sully instructions on how to disable the cameras.

"So you're gonna keep your makeup and hair on?" Sam says while this is going on.

You had forgotten all about it. You quickly excuse yourself to the bathroom to wash the makeup off. You realize that this is expensive makeup and that it will be hard to wash it all off without makeup remover. Still, makeup is supposed to highlight your face, which is counterintuitive to the heist.

You notice that Sam has followed you to the bathroom. "What now?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering how you felt about this," he says.

"We're going in there with half a plan, how do you think I feel about it?" you snap.

He holds his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I just wanted to--"

You realize how crabby you are being. "I'm sorry, I--"

"Yeah, this whole situation is pretty messed up," he tells you.

"It's not just the heist," you admit, "Chloe said that she convinced Uematsu to hold the event in the first place, but Kohaku said he doesn't trust foreigners."

"If that's true, then how did Chloe convince him in the first place?" he finishes for you.

"Exactly, I have a bad feeling about this," you say.

"Well the last thing Uematsu expects is for us to is to go in tonight." You begin to feel a little better until he adds, "Supposedly." But he continues, "But hey, some of these guys aren't as smart as you'd think. Take my stint in India: this guy, he's a warlord and looks down on anyone that isn't Indian, and he believes me when I, a 'convict-looking' white guy, say that I'm an expert in Hoy-sala up until he realizes that Chloe and Nadine have been on the right track all along."

"Uematsu _is_ smart, Sam," you urge. "You didn't talk to him, I did. Besides, he's working with Marikit, who's--as far as he knows--a native Japanese, so he trusts _her_."

"Yeah, about that," he begins, "If you know her, can't you just…I dunno, get her to cut us a little slack?"

You shake your head. "Mari is completely serious, she doesn't mix personal and professional business. She's not going to cut me some slack no matter what I say."

Sam does not have anything else to say so the two of you return and finish getting ready. Marcel leaves to make more "preparations". You are not too surprised that he will not see you off.

"Wait," you stop him before he can leave, "Do you at least have something we can put in the scroll's place?"

He shakes his head. "There isn't enough time. Besides, forgeries are only necessary if we're planning on selling it to the black market. When we're finished with the painting, I'll simply return it to the gallery with an anonymous, yet heartfelt apology."

You should have figured as much; even if you were performing the heist later, there is absolutely no way you can secure the forgery in less than a week.

"It's fine," Nadine assures you, "They barely look at the paintings at all. We'll be able to get away with it tonight."

You hope so.

"If there's nothing else, I will be going," Marcel says as he leaves.

When all the preparations are made, the three of you leave the house and make your way to the gallery. When you are across the street, you see an expensive car drive up to the gallery. You take out a pair of binoculars and see Brodeur himself leaving whilst talking to presumably one of the guards.

"I wish I could tell what they're saying," you mutter.

"Use the microphone," Nadine reminds you irritably.

You are unsure if it will even pick up their voices, but you take it out, if only to keep Nadine quiet; to your surprise, it does.

"And you're sure everything's secure?" Brodeur asks.

"You do not have anything to worry about Brodeur-san," the guard assures him. "We have made all the necessary precautions."

He is still concerned. "If anything happens--"

"You can take it up with our boss," the guard informs him. "Now go and let us do our jobs."

Brodeur reluctantly gets into the car, and it drives away. The guard goes back inside and out of range for the directional mic.

"'Take it up with our boss'?" you repeat, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Head of security, perhaps?" Nadine suggests. "Surely, he knows that Uematsu is yakuza and thinks something is up, so he hired an outside contractor for the next few days."

Sure, it is plausible, but you do not quite accept it.

Nadine informs Sully that the three of you are across the street and tells him to cut the camera feed. He does so and you all run across into the bushes on the right side of the house.

"I just got into their radio signal, and they're panicking," Sully informs you. "They're trying to figure out--wait…that's not right…"

"What's not right?" You ask, worried.

"It sounds like they're looking for--" he stops abruptly, which worries you more. "It's gone, the hijacker's gone."

You are all speechless--without the hijacker, you are in the dark.

Sully takes the time to explain exactly what happened. "At first, they were trying to figure out what went wrong. Then, they were saying something about looking for something."

You pale as you realize what went wrong. Two guards had seen you go down to the first floor, they knew that would have given you ample time to plant the hijacker. You were not caught earlier because they had no reason to suspect you did anything until the cameras went out. Brodeur probably started keeping you off the first floor because you had done that.

"What do we do now?" Sam wonders.

"We go on," Nadine tells him, "It'll take them a while to get the cameras back on, and they probably don't even know the motion detectors were disabled for the second floor."

You decide that she is right. "No cameras, no motion detectors, we can still do this." Although, you silently add, the odds of success have greatly diminished, but there is no going back now.

The three of you stick close to the bushes as you make your way toward the back of the house. As you are doing this, you notice someone looking out the window, he pauses for a bit before walking away. This concerns you for a moment, but you keep going. When you get to the back door, someone exits and stretches--it appears he is on break. You take out the directional microphone just in case, while Sam and Nadine whip out their binoculars. The man takes out a bottle and takes a swig from it.

"I can't read Japanese," Sam says, "But that looks like alcohol."

"He's muttering to himself," you add, "I think he's already drunk. If we can knock him out we can blame it on the--"

"Tsukuda!" you hear someone shout with the directional mic.

Another man comes out through the door--the same one you saw looking out the window.

The drunk man--Tsukuda--appears happy to see him. "Ikeda- _san_! _Anata wa yoi toki ni ore o tsukamaeta_!"

The other man--Ikeda--does not seem to be having it. " _Hataraite iru ma ni nonde imasu ka_?"

" _Kore wa ore no kyuukeinanode,-soude wa arimasen_ ," Tsukuda says as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Sully, what are they saying?" you have to ask.

"It sounds like the first guy was just caught drinking on the job," he explains.

" _Tonikaku koko de nani o shite imasu ka_?" Tsukuda continues, " _Anata wa subete no bijinesu no youdesu_."

Ikeda crosses his arms, " _Boku wa shigemi de nanika o mitanode, boku wa chousa suru you ni natta._ "

"Goddamn it," Sully curses, "He saw you in the bushes."

Tsukuda shrugs, " _Sore wa tabun maigo inudesu._ " He then appears to be calling for a pet, " _Wan-chan, kocchi oide_!"

" _Boku wa ko no subete ga omoshiroi to omotte ureshiidesu._ " Ikeda is not amused. "Tsukuda _, kon'ya moushonsensaa o chekku shita no?_ "

Tsukuda makes a noise that you amount to a "yeah, yeah". " _Karera wa hataraite iru, ore wa shifuto ga hajimatta toki ni karera o chekku shita._ "

"Apparently the drunk guy's job was to check to motion sensors," Sully informs you.

"Lucky us," Sam adds.

" _Sore irai chekku shite inai nodesu ka_?" Ikeda asks.

" _Doshite ore ga kon'na koto ni_?" Tsukuda retorts. " _Karera wa tadashiku kinou shite iru!_ "

"Our luck's about to run out," Sully tells you. "It sounds like he's about to make him double check them."

"We need to stop them," Nadine takes out her tranq gun.

You stop her by taking hold of the gun, "No! We'll get discovered!"

"We're about to be discovered if we let them check on those motion sensors!" She counters.

If you let her eliminate them, you risk them being discovered. You may get away with knocking Tsukuda out, but Ikeda was in the middle of his patrol, so he will be missed. Besides, unlike Tsukuda, Ikeda seems to take his job seriously so framing him as a drunkard will not work. On the other hand, if you let them go, you have a limited amount of time to steal the scroll before the motion detectors came back online--not to mention you will be on Nadine's bad side if you do. Neither Sam nor Sully are chiming in, so you are unsure of what to do.

Do you let Nadine knock the guards out, or do you let them go?

A. Knock them out.  
B. Let them go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/tRLkOCz.png](https://i.imgur.com/tRLkOCz.png)
> 
>  
> 
> I'm not saying anything, you'll just have to decide for yourself.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> EDIT 4/10/18  
> I had to add in a detail that I COULD'VE SWORN I put in another chapter, but I skimmed through the story and I couldn't find any trace of it. It's basically about the team's lack of forgery to replace the stolen painting.


	25. It All Comes Together

Out and About  
_**Choice A: Knock them out.** _  
_**It All Comes Together** _

With a deep breath, you release your grip on Nadine's gun. "Go ahead."

With a huff, Nadine points her gun at the two men and knock them out with one shot each. After confirming that there is no one else around, the three of you emerge from the bushes and approach the open door. You cannot help but admire how fast-acting the tranquilizers are.

Nadine goes on ahead to scout the den and the hallway beyond. You go to follow her, but first, you make sure Sam is right behind you. You see him pick up the now-fallen sake bottle off the ground.

"What are you doing?" you ask.

"It's not like he's gonna need it anymore," Sam points out.

Not wanting any distractions--or a reason for Sam to drink--you take the bottle out of his hand and pour it over the two unconscious bodies. You hope that the fact that the two men are drenched in alcohol will buy you some time when they are inevitable discovered.

You gesture for him to go into the house ahead of you. "Age before beauty."

He sighs, knowing the real reason why you are letting him go first. You close the door behind you as you enter.

The two of you catch up to Nadine, who is carefully peering into the hallway. "We're clear in three…two…one…go."

She quickly and quietly leads the two of you up the stairs onto the second floor. It is completely empty, a stark contrast to how crowded it was mere hours ago.

When you head for the painting, Sam stops you. "Wait…what if--in the off chance--that guard got the motion sensors back on?"

"Seriously?" you ask, exasperated.

"Seriously," he repeats.

Without breaking eye contact with him, you go to the nearest wall, and put your hand on it. You then proceed to slide your hand all around it, even touching a nearby painting. If the motion detectors were on, the alarms would have gone off already.

After you do this, Sam seems satisfied. You lead him over to the painting while Nadine volunteers to stand watch at the stairs.

"Here then." You give her the directional microphone and the equipment. "So we can know what's going on down there."

"Copy that," she says.

You and Sam go over to the scroll. He takes the entire display off the wall and carefully places it on the ground. Then, carefully, he unscrews the back of the case and removes it entirely allowing you to take the scroll, roll it up and put it in the mailing tube that Sam had been carrying on his back this entire time.

"That was easier than I thought," he admits.

"I've handled thousand-year-old scrolls before," you tell him, "Honestly, canvases are harder."

" _Tsukuda ga daun!_ " you hear the directional microphone feed in your ear.

" _Tsukuda o kinishinaide!_ " someone else shouts. " _Ikeda ga kougeki sa reta!_ "

" _Shuui o kotei shimasu!_ " a third voice yells.

"You three better get the hell out of there!" Sully advises you urgently.

"We got the painting, we just need to find a way out!" you tell him. "Get Marcel to get us a getaway car."

"I would, but I don't have any way of contacting him," Sully informs you.

"Seriously?!" you squeak, trying not to yell to alert the guards to your location.

"My phone is the only way of contacting him," Nadine says, taking out her phone and getting it ready to call Marcel.

"That's so stupid!" you almost whine, taking the phone from her. "What you lost it?!"

All of a sudden, the directional microphone picks up the sound of a gun cocking.

Why would you hear that? You were under the impression that the guards in the gallery were unarmed--especially with Japan's strict gun laws.

The three of you hide from view of the first floor, with Nadine carefully pointing the mic toward the source of the sound.

You hear a single male voice, " _Ore wa sorera no gaijin ga ore to deau koto o nozomu._ "

"Did he just say ' _gaijin_ '?" you ask quietly.

How would he know the three of you are _gaijin_? The more you think about it, the more you come to your conclusion.

"We were set up," Sam realizes.

"Not by Chloe," Nadine denies.

"No, Uematsu set _her_ up," you explain. "Why else would she be able to convince Uematsu to hold the event in the first place?"

You can see Nadine beat herself up for not realizing sooner.

"So," Sam begins, "Those guards down there--"

"--are yakuza," you finish for him. "Probably Uematsu's men." You look down at the phone and call Marcel, praying to whoever is listening that he will pick up.

"What's wrong?" you hear the playboy's urgent voice after the first ring.

"The place was being guarded by yakuza thugs," you inform him. "We need a getaway car, _now_."

You can hear him curse in Polish before saying, "You have one, get out of there quickly, do your best to avoid them shooting at you."

You roll your eyes at the obvious statement.

"Also," he goes on, "Sullivan won't be able to go with you, tell him I'll meet up with him myself."

"Got it," you hang up. "Sully, you'll have to stay put, Marcel will meet up with you."

"So we have a car?" Sam asks.

"It's coming right now," you tell him, "We just need to get out of here."

Nadine carefully looks downstairs. "I don't see anyone nearby, and it's strangely quiet."

"I don't see anyone out front," Sully informs you.

"We can get out through the front door then," Sam suggests. "They're probably focusing on where we came in."

"We need a keycode, remember?" Nadine reminds him.

"If they're not out front then we'll have time to run before they come for us!" he argues.

She looks further down the hall, into the next room toward the front of the gallery. "There's an open window, we can climb out though there."

"It'll take too long," he counters. "What if they spot us and shoot us while we're climbing out?"

"It's our only option," she insists.

"No, we have the front door and making a run for it," he tells her. He turns to you, "You know how to get to the front door from here, right?"

You blink as you are suddenly pulled into this argument. "Yeah but--"

"You aren't seriously thinking of going along with this moronic idea, are you?" Nadine challenges.

This makes you the tie breaker.

Sam has a decent point about the front door, and climbing out the window leaving you vulnerable. Besides, there is also the risk that the open window is a trap, with one or more thugs ready to ambush you in the next room. You wonder if the three of you can take them on though.

Then again, the front door does seem like a bad idea. Although there is also the possibility of the choice being so unexpected it would catch everyone off-guard. After all--they do not know that you know that they are looking for you.

What will it be, leaving through the front door, or the window?

A. Front door.  
B. Window.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/y0JW9dT.png](https://i.imgur.com/y0JW9dT.png)
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry, I gotta go, this was almost a late update, the next chapter will (hopefully) be longer.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!
> 
> Note: I edited the last chapter with a brief exchange between the protagonist and Marcel about not replacing the painting with a forgery. You might wanna read if you're curious about that point.


	26. Getting Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I don't have to rush out the door this time...but I don't think you're gonna like what's gonna happen in this chapter.
> 
> DON'T WORRY! I'll make it up to you later!
> 
> Thank you for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Front Door.**  
_**Getting Out** _

"The front door is a better idea," you decide.

"What?" Nadine almost snarls.

"It's not like they know we know--" you try to explain but you are cut off.

"The front door will set off the alarm," she tells you, "They're going to start shooting us, and we're _unarmed_!"

"But what's in that next room?" you counter, "Why's that window open? For all we know, it can be a trap!"

"Fine," she spits, " _You two_ can go through the front door, _I'm_ taking the window."

"Nadine!" you try to call after her, "We need to stick together!"

"Nadine, what the hell are you doing?!" Sully tries to berate her, but she takes the earpiece out and tosses it on the ground.

You are in shock. Why would she do this all of a sudden? You understand that the shock of getting set up could be getting to her, but splitting up is the worst thing you can do right now--especially since she knows you are about to set off the alarm.

"Come on, we have to get going," Sam says, heading downstairs.

He is right. You follow him downstairs, but not before you pick up Nadine's discarded earpiece. You examine it and it seems that she also crushed it before tossing it, rendering it useless.

When you get to the first floor, there is one guard heading in the direction you need to go, you need some kind of a distraction to get past him. You decide to toss the earpiece in the opposite direction, hoping he will hear the noise and investigate it. And to your relief, he does, allowing you and Sam to get by unnoticed.

When you get to the front door, you notice Sam is a little preoccupied. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he says, "It's just…you know you sent that guy in Nadine's direction, right?"

You pale as you realize that you may have just got her spotted.

"Everything still looks okay from out here," Sully informs you. "If you just sent one guy, it won't be a problem for her."

"Yeah," Sam agrees, "She can take care of herself."

"Alright," you sigh, "Let's just open this door and get out of here. Sully, is that getaway car here yet?

"There's a beat-up car in the middle of the street," he tells you, "I'm willing to bet it's your ticket out of here."

You look out the window next to the door and see the car that he is talking about. "Okay Sully, we'll see you later, thanks."

"Be safe you two," he says.

"You ready?" Sam asks.

"As I'll ever be," you reply.

As you reach for the door handle, you flinch at the sound of gunshots coming from the other room.

"Victor, what's going on out there?" Sam inquires urgently into his earpiece.

"Nadine was halfway out the window," Sully tells him.

"We have to help her," you say almost instantly.

"Are you kidding?" Sam balks. "It's not our fault she went off on her own!"

"But it's _my_ fault she's getting shot at!" you insist. "We can't just leave her!"

"You're gonna have to," Sully informs you, "It looks like she was shot in the leg, she's dead weight to you two."

You refuse to believe that. "But--"

"Listen, I'm right here, I'll go help her if I have to," he tells you, "But you two need to get the hell out of there!"

You wonder if he is simply saying that to get you to go. Time is up and you know it, you need to get out of there.

"Fine, we're going," you say.

You throw the door open and make a mad dash for the car, ignoring the shouting, the gunshots and alarms blaring in your ears. The car door open as you get closer to it and you practically jump into the backseat with Sam right behind you. The car speeds away as you hear bullets ricochet off the car itself, but soon, you are clear of the bullets altogether.

"I suppose that could have gone better," the driver says, surprisingly in English.

You recognize the voice--it's Kohaku, wearing a non-descript hoodie and sunglasses; no wonder the car got to you so fast.

"And I see you've lost Ross- _kun_ ," he adds.

"She decided to go off on her own so…" Sam explains, exasperated by the situation.

"Marcel told me about your friend," he goes on, "And why you did this tonight instead of tomorrow."

"We were set up," you tell him.

"Not surprising," he says, "Why else would he work with _gaijin_?"

"Where are we going anyway?" Sam wonders, having noticed that he is driving away from Yamate.

"I'm taking you to a safehouse in Nishi- _ku_ ," he informs you. "When I heard about the heist, I took the liberty of putting your belongings in this car, thinking you would need it."

"It sounds like you had more of this planned out than Marcel did," Sam points out. Kohaku does not respond, causing Sam to continue. "Say, you're yakuza too, how do we know you're not taking us straight to Uematsu himself?"

"For one thing, your tattoos don't exactly convey innocence either," Kohaku jabs, causing Sam to instinctively cover his tattoo with his hand. "For another, if I were working with Uematsu, you two would be dead already and the scroll would be mine." You open your mouth to say something, but he unexpectedly continues, "By the way, I saw Ross- _kun_ climbing out the window…why did you not follow her?"

"Because," Sam begins, almost hesitantly, "We were going for the front door."

"The front door," Kohaku repeats, "That was rigged with the alarm. You chose that over the open window?"

"Who leaves a window open in a supposedly secure art gallery?" Sam asks rhetorically. "It looked like a trap."

Kohaku seems to understand, "So it is--how do you say? 'The devil you know'?"

"Exactly," Sam says, "You get it."

"Yes," Kohaku nods, "But I would have gone for the window. If it were a trap, I would have dispatched them with ease."

You wonder if Nadine had the same mindset.

"And," he continues, looking back at you, "From what I saw, the only reason you made it out was because Ross- _kun_ caused a distraction. Unless that was the plan."

Guilt fills the pit of your stomach as you realize the weight of the situation--Nadine unintentionally sacrificed herself for your escape. The glasses obscure Kohaku's face, but you can tell he has figured out the truth.

Unable to face him anymore, you look to Sam to see how he is holding up and you notice a small tear in his sleeve and a cut on his arm.

"You're bleeding," you tell him.

He looks at you, then examines his arm. "Guess a bullet grazed me, I'll be fine."

"We need to take care of it." You turn to Kohaku. "Does your safehouse have a first aid kit?"

"It does," he says, "They'll probably charge you for it."

You frown. "What kind of safehouse is it?"

"One that wishes to profit in unscrupulous ways," he explains. "You better hope that they don't find anything valuable amongst your belongings."

It is not long before you arrive. When you get out of the car, you notice that the building is worn-down and in desperate need of a paintjob.

"This place is falling apart," Sam notes.

"This place has been in service to the same family for over sixty years," Kohaku informs you as he steps out of the car, "They refuse to renovate. Come," he gestures for the two of you to follow him to the back of the car.

He opens the truck revealing your belongings in three separate crates. The men take the heavy ones while you take the lightest one that you suspect has everyone's clothes inside. The three of you enter the building and you see someone falling asleep at the front desk.

Kohaku talks to the person in Japanese and with a yawn, she leads you upstairs. She stops at a room and says more to you in Japanese, none of which you understand.

"You can stay one night only," Kohaku translates, "You have to leave by dusk tomorrow, and you may bathe only once--they check the water meter."

Sam gives you a sly glance, reminding you of the offhand comment you made the night before; you never would have made that remark if you knew this would happen.

The woman opens the door for you, gesturing for you to go inside. It is a very small room with one door--presumably leading to the bathroom--and a futon big enough for two people. The three of you put the crates down and she talks to you more.

"There's no heat, no air conditioning, and the train shakes the entire building," Kohaku informs you.

Sam looks at the futon and frowns. "So we're sleeping on the floor in a rickety building. I think I actually had it better in prison."

" _Ijiwaru shinaide_ ," the woman crosses her arms. She most likely does not understand what Sam is saying, but can tell he is complaining by the tone of his voice.

"You can survive one night," Kohaku tells him. He says something to the woman, dismissing her. "By the way, it would be wise to give me the scroll for safe-keeping."

He gets defensive. "Why?"

"Because things in here tend to disappear," he explains. "I will bring the scroll back to Marcel, and he will arrive to pick you up in the morning."

Sam takes the mailing tube off his back and gives it to Kohaku.

" _Arigatou_ ," he says. "This will be the last time we see each other."

You stop him as he turns to leave. "So that's it?" He looks back at you with a raise of his eyebrow. "You're just going to turn and leave?"

"My work here is done," he informs you, "There is nothing more I can do for you."

"Of course there is!" you deny, "You know more about Uematsu and how he thinks more than any of us! You can help us!"

He turns back around. "I apologize, perhaps I did not convey this correctly in English--" he speaks to you slowly as if you are a child, "--Helping you is impossible."

You do not believe this, but decide to humor him. "How is it impossible?"

He continues to speak to you very slowly, "Uematsu is Sumiyoshi- _kai_. I am Inagawa- _kai_. I get involved, I start gang war. Do you, un-der-stand?"

You recall him saying something about this earlier. Still, you have a hard time believing it--there is no way Kohaku is important enough in his gang that he would start a war over his mere involvement in an operation against an opposing gang member. If it were true, he would not be helping you now. In fact, you suspect there is another reason why he will not help you.

But, do you want to pursue it and convince him to join you?

A. Yes.  
B. No.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/mQCaTFx.png](https://i.imgur.com/mQCaTFx.png)
> 
> Okay, I didn't really plan on having you lose Nadine until I actually sat down and started writing. Since I didn't plan on this, I didn't warn you in the last chapter. So to make up for it, I'm going to offer you guys an opportunity to go and rescue her later on. So, **Nadine is not lost quite yet**. Edit: I should probably remind you that she was shot in the leg, so if we get her back, she's not going to be very mobile.
> 
> Okay, now that the Nadine fans have put away their torches and pitchforks, I can talk about the current choice.
> 
> ...I don't think I can offer an unbiased hint, Kohaku is starting to grow on me as a character, I even wrote a backstory for him. Hell I can probably write a separate story starring him. But we're focused on this story, and whether or not you guys think he'll be useful for the rest of the story...or maybe none of you like him and don't wanna see him ever again.
> 
> Edit again: You know what? [Here's a spoilerific hint on recruiting Kohaku.](https://i.imgur.com/kTr10Fu.png) Biased? Yes. If you don't want my opinion on it, don't read the hint and vote to your heart's content.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	27. That Went Well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you for the kind words in the last update that were deleted along with the rest of the chapter. For those of you who missed it, the tl;dr version is: overwhelmed IRL extending update schedule to accommodate myself. Thanks for your patient.
> 
> And in that update I said I was only a third of the way through and that I wanted to cover thirty-six hours...well the chapter ended up being three-thousand words anyway, but I didn't cover as much time as I thought I would.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the support, enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Yes.**  
_**That Went Well** _

You cross your arms as you decide to challenge him and convince him to join you guys.

"I don't believe you," you tell him.

"What?" It is clear Kohaku does not expect to be challenged in this way.

"You heard me," you say, I don't think one person going up against a rival gang member is enough to start a gang war, Kohaku."

"That's Shimino!" he retorts. "You know nothing about the Yakuza!"

You stand your ground, "I know enough to figure out that _you're_ not _that_ important!"

" _Ikani_?!" he somewhat exclaims, "What do you know?"

It seems that you have shaken his foundation enough to go for the kill. "I know that if you _were_ important, you wouldn't be living in _Cleena's_ house!"

He flinches as he realizes he has been found out. Momoko herself--as Kohaku's lover and the house's maid--has referred to the house as the Lister family home, not the Shimino family home, despite Cleena admitting that her legal surname is "Shimino". The truth is--Kohaku is not important in his organization.

"So, what's the real reason you won't help us?" you challenge. "Is it because you're _scared_?"

He gets very defensive. "I don't have to justify myself! I am _not_ helping you!"

With that he leaves, slamming the door behind him. You wonder if there was any point in fighting with him at all.

"At least we won't have to talk to him again after that," Sam says.

You sigh, "If he'd just help us, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"We don't need him," he tries to assure you, "We'll be fine."

"But what about Nadine?" you ask.

"That's not our fault," he tells you. "She was the one who went off on her own."

"But maybe that window wasn't a trap," you think back on it, "Maybe they just left it open--"

"Stop it, stop it," he interrupts you. "We can't think about the 'what-ifs' or whatever. We did what we were supposed to: we got the painting, and we got out."

You take a deep breath. "Okay, you're right, we did our job. It's not like Nadine got killed, besides, Sully was watching over her when we got out of there."

"There you go," Sam smiles, "You have to look on the bright side for times like these."

You smile back at him. But, the truth is, you were trying to convince yourself. You hope that Sully was able to help Nadine.

"Now," he starts again, "I believe you owe me a shower."

You sigh, "Sam, after tonight the last thing--"

"After tonight the first thing you should wanna do is wind down," he finishes for you.

"I told you before, I don't like having sex with someone I barely know," you tell him.

"Barely--" he is aghast, "After all that, you still consider me someone you barely know?"

You have lost count of the number of guys who have pulled that line on you. Still, you refuse to budge.

"You're starting to sound like Marcel," you point out.

This is enough for Sam to back off. "Alright fine, but we should still shower together."

"I don't need to," you tell him. "You can--"

He will not hear any of it. "No, you never know when you'll lose access to running water and soap, we're _both_ showering."

You never did find the idea of sharing a shower romantic, your experience in prison did not help. You cannot think of any excuse not to--especially not with the lingering makeup on your face. You take a deep breath and decide to grin and bear it--and hope that you don't end up crying like you did the other day.

The two of you enter the bathroom and find that it is surprisingly clean. It is a traditional Japanese bathroom, with the only the sink and the mirror in one room, a door leading to a squat toilet and another door leading to the bath area. You both look into the bath area and find that it is too small for both of you to wash at the same time. There is an area to sit so you can wash yourself before getting into the tub. That is when you realize what the woman actually meant.

"That's right, in Japan, they reuse bath water," you explain to Sam, "Since you're supposed to wash yourself before getting into the tub, more than one person can use the bath before draining it."

Sam stumbles over his words before saying, "Okay fine, we can do it that way."

It is clear to you that he is disappointed about not sharing a shower with you.

"Besides," you continue, "One of us should watch our stuff in case some of our stuff 'disappears'."

"Good point," he says, "I'll let you go first. I need to take care of this anyway." He points to the cut on his arm.

"Okay, just leave a change of clothes for me in here," you tell him as he leaves.

When he closes the door behind him you step into the bathing area. The first thing you notice is that there is no soap or shampoo for you to use. You suppose that the woman downstairs would sell these things to you, but you do not have any yen on hand. You go to inform Sam of this and find him rummaging through the crates.

"What are you doing?" you ask.

"Seeing if Nadine has any money," he explains, "She and Chloe spent weeks here, she has to have something."

"You really shouldn't steal from her," you tell him.

"If she notices that it's gone, I'll pay her back," he assures her.

Then, you remember something. "Hey, didn't Kohaku give you money for sparring with him?"

He shook his head, "He said to remind him to give it to me after the heist."

"Maybe he remembered," you suggest, "Check your stuff."

"I don't think he did," he says.

"Check anyway, it's better than stealing from Nadine," you counter.

With a sigh, he goes through his belongings. To his surprise, he pulls out a wad of cash with a note attached. Sam passes you the note after reading it himself.

For sparring with me - _清野_

"See? He's not so bad," you tell him.

Sam shrugs. "I never said he was. He's kind of an asshole though."

"Yeah," you agree.

"So," he gets up, "I'm going to use an online translator and get them to give me a first-aid kit downstairs."

"Can you get some soap too?" you ask, "There isn't any in the bathroom."

"Even if there was, would you use it?" he replies.

You give a half-shrug as he leaves. You begin to look through your belongings for one of your books. The door begins to open not long after Sam leaves, making you think that he was unsuccessful.

"You couldn't get through the--" you stop in your tracks when you see someone unfamiliar peeking in.

The person says something in Japanese, in a mock-pleasant tone that would not be out-of-place at a restaurant or something.

You tense up, recalling how Kohaku mentioned things disappearing in this place. "What are you doing here?"

"I lost, I looking for my room," he tries to tell you.

But you do not buy any of it. "Get out of here!"

"Okay, this not my room, I go find my room," he says as he leaves, his tone unwavering.

You get the feeling that he will be back, so you get up to lock the door.

Only to find that there is no lock. There is not even a deadbolt. No wonder things go missing, people can just walk into any room and take whatever isn't nailed down. You wonder if you will get any sleep tonight. You get your book and sit up against the door so that no one else will try and walk in.

In the time Sam takes to return two people attempt to open the door, but they are thwarted when you push back against the door. Sam is the only one who actually knocks on the door. When you open it, he is holding a basket with soap bottles and towels and what appears to be a first-aid kit.

"I got these for the low, low price of two-thousand yen," he informs you. "And I have no idea if I got ripped off or not."

"As long as we have soap and clean towels," you say, taking the basket from him. You head back into the bathroom, but before you go in, you tell him, "By the way, there's no lock on the door, I had to lean up against it to stop people from coming in."

At first, he chuckles, but after seeing your straight face, he realizes you are serious. "There's no lock on that door?" You shake your head. "And you said you had to stop people from coming in?"

"I did, they were pretending they were lost," you explain.

He groans. "You know what? I definitely had it better in prison. My cell was locked and I didn't have to sleep on the floor."

"I'd take this over prison any day," you tell him as you remember to take your change of clothes as well. "I'm going to take a good _long_ soak in the tub."

As soon as you close the door to the bathroom, you hear the other door to the hallway open. With a roll of your eyes, you undress and head into the bathroom with the soap and a wash cloth. You are able to tell the body wash apart from the shampoo due to image on it emphasizing the hair of the model. There is also a third bottle that contains a powder. This powder is for the tub, it contains minerals that help the body relax; you remember this from your last visit to Japan.

You set up the bath and wash yourself before getting in it. You feel your body relax as you enter the water; it might not be an onsen, but it still feels nice. You lose track of time and nearly fall asleep, when you hear a knock at the door.

You hear Sam's voice from the other side. "Hey, you've been in there for a while, you alright in there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be out in a minute," you call to him.

You climb out of the tub and rinse yourself off one more time before exiting the room. You get a towel and dry yourself off before dressing in your change of clothes. It is the same set of clothes you first arrived in Japan since you do not have another change of clothes. When you exit the bathroom with your clothes in your hand, you see Sam sitting across from the door, muttering to himself with a gun in his hand.

You are shocked to see it. "Where'd you get that?"

"That must've been some bath," he says. He holds the gun up. "This is the tranq gun Marcel gave me, remember?"

You blink, you had completely forgotten that Sam had one as well, since he did not use it. "So what are you doing with it?"

As soon as you ask, you hear someone at the door again.

Sam looks to you before pointing his gun. "Watch."

The person who peaks in is the same one that had come in earlier. He freezes when he sees Sam pointing the gun at him.

Then, he slowly but confidently says, " _Moshee anatah gah futatabee kitarah, watashi wah anatah oh koroshimasoo_."

Truly flustered, the man sputters out, " _Moushikaneru_."

Satisfied, Sam puts the gun on the floor. "That should stop him from coming in now."

"Wait, it was the same guy every time?" you ask. "And what did you say to him anyway?"

"Yep. I basically told him I'd kill him if he came in again," he explains. "Courtesy of online translators." He looks at you. "You're going to sleep like that?"

"There's no lock on the door, you think I'm going to sleep in my underwear?" you tell him.

"Good point," he groans as he gets up. "You left enough hot water for me?"

"Plenty," you assure him.

"Good," he says as he begins taking off his shirt and marching past you into the bathroom. "I'm probably gonna soak twice as long as you."

You toss your dirty clothes into the crate containing the rest of your belongings. Your phone as well as everything else from the heist is in there so you make a note to hide it somewhere. You figure somewhere in the bathroom may be safe, if a person were to come in, they would not think to look in the bathroom for anything expensive.

You sit down on the floor and the door opens again. You take the gun and point it at the door. The man from before peeks in and quickly leaves. You groan, this man is relentless, he is obviously waiting for you and Sam to go to sleep to raid your belongings. There is only one option--to sleep up against the door.

You take the futon and put it right next to the door so that if it is opened, it will hit your sleeping body and either wake you up immediately or when they push against the door. Still, you think it will be safe if you put your belongs in the bathroom, so you do so. You put all the crates in the bathroom so that there is nothing out in the open.

As you are doing this, you notice Sam's clothes are all over the floor, but the door to the tub is open. Before your mind makes the connection, you instinctively turn when you hear the door open and you see Sam.

Stark naked.

You do not see past his shoulders since you immediately turn your back to him.

"Hey, you don't get to see any of this unless you get the whole package," he berates you.

"I'm sorry, I--" you sputter, "I was just putting our stuff in here--you know--for safe keeping--why do you go the bathroom naked?"

"I go naked when I'm about to take a shower," he says, annoyed.

"Right okay," you say, "I'm gonna go to bed and pretend this never happened." You quickly leave the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

You wish you can die of embarrassment--it would save you from having to talk about that with him afterward. You simply crawl into the futon and drift off to sleep.

You are woken up when you feel the entire room shake and the sound of a nearby train fills your ears. Sam has latched himself onto you, but he too is disturbed by the train.

"There goes our chance to get any more sleep," Sam mutters groggily.

"It's only one train," you mumble as you go back to sleep.

It is not too long after that you are woken up again to the room shaking. You realize now that you are not going back to sleep. You bury your head into your pillow and let out a frustrated cry into it.

"I told you," you hear Sam. You also hear him exercising, perhaps he forgot to do it the night before.

You turn your head to look at him and immediately turn away when you see he is wearing nothing but a wife beater and some boxers. "You're in your underwear."

"Yeah, unlike you, I'm not worried about modesty for whatever intruder decides to barge in here," he grunts between sit-ups or whatever exercise he happens to be doing at the moment. "Besides, this is tame compared to what you saw last night…or a few hours ago."

"I didn't see anything," you tell him. "I saw your clothes on the floor and I made the connection and turned away when I saw you didn't have a shirt on."

"So you went into the bathroom last night…" he begins.

"To hide our stuff," you finish for him.

"Ah, so it wasn't to see the clown tattoo on my stomach," he says.

"No," you reply, confused. "Why do you have a clown tattoo?"

"I don't," he tells you, "But it's nice to know you're telling the truth."

You roll your eyes. "You know, you're acting squeamish for someone who isn't shy about that."

"Oh, it's not about you seeing me naked," he explains as you hear him sit down with a thud, "It's about you trying to get a look at me in the shower when you're telling me you're not interested."

What he is actually telling you is that he felt violated. You would be too, if the situation were reversed.

You turn your head toward Sam and turn away again when you are reminded that he is in his underwear. "Can you please put some pants on?"

"Fine," you hear him grunt as he gets up, "But only because you said please."

As he goes to put his pants on, you do your best to get up since you will not be going back to sleep any time soon. When you finally sit up, you see Sam exit the bathroom with his jeans on.

He hands you your phone. "Here, you got a text message."

You thank him and absentmindedly put in your PIN code to unlock it.

But it doesn't unlock.

It takes you a moment to realize that this is not your phone at all. "This isn't mine."

He looks confused as he puts a cigarette in his mouth. "I found it with your clothes from last night."

You look at him and try to remember what someone else's phone is doing with your belongings. Then, you remember.

This is Nadine's phone.

She had gone off on her own not long after you called Marcel, so you never had a chance to return it to her. You back out of the lock screen to see the notifications and you see one for a new text message from Chloe Frazer.

"Chloe sent her a text message," you tell Sam.

"What's it say?" he asks, interested.

"I don't know, I need to unlock the phone to see," you say. "Do you know Nadine's PIN?"

He shakes his head. "No, but…" He takes out his phone and looks for something. "Try 9463."

You do so and surprisingly, it unlocks. "How'd you know?"

"I got it in a message from a random number not long after that phone went off," he explains.

You open the message; it reads:

Miyajima 2-G

You have no idea what it means. You show it to Sam, and he does not know either.

"It has to be important," you reason, "She made sure we would see it."

He shrugs as he takes out his lighter, "It'd be nice if we had another clue."

"Are you even allowed to smoke here?" you wonder.

"They set down the rules and they never said anything about smoking," he reasons. He tries to light the cigarette but finds that his lighter will not make flame. "What--? I just refilled this the other day!" After a while he gives up and puts the lighter and the cigarette away. "Okay, this place is officially worse than prison."

"It's not the place's fault that you ran out of fuel for your lighter," you inform him.

"I'd like to think it is if you don't mind," he replies as he sits down. "So, what do you wanna do for the next few hours?"

You gesture to the phone. "We can try to figure out what the message--"

"Or we can not think about work until Victor and Marcel get here," he interrupts you. "Besides, I don't know what Miwajimah is, do you?"

"No," you admit.

"Okay, so we both don't know," he says, ending the conversation. "Don't even think we can get anything to eat."

You realize that you are hungry, you had not eaten since the event the night before. You would be willing to go and get something to eat, but you do not know Japanese food that well. The only thing that comes to mind that is quick are instant noodles, but you do not have access to boiling water. You have to admit, this experience is comparable to prison.

The two of you are silent for a while, not knowing what to say or do.

"So, what's the story with you and that girl?" he asks out of nowhere.

"Who?" you question.

"The one from the gallery, Mari or something?" he elaborates.

"Marikit," you correct him.

"Yeah, her, what's her deal?" he wonders.

"I told you before," you say, "She's all business, no pleasure. Besides, I thought you didn't want to talk about work."

"I'm just asking about her in general," he reasons. "It's not like we have anything else to talk about right now."

Or anything you _want_ to talk about. Still, you see no harm in talking about Marikit with Sam right now.

"We met a few years ago," you begin, "We had a client who was trying to see who'd do a job for the lowest price. Eventually, he screwed up and had us meet with him at the same time. We specialize in similar fields, art history, art heists, so we were unknowingly outbidding each other for jobs for years before we even met. For this job in particular, we forced our client to hire both of us, or neither of us. It ended up being one of my most successful jobs at the time.

"We kept in touch after that, if one of us were offered a job when we were busy, we'd tell the client to call the other. Sometimes we would even bring each other on if a job needed an extra hand."

"Sounds like the two of you _were_ friends," he points out.

You chuckle. "You're not _friends_ with Marikit. You're associates at best." Then, out of nowhere you recall Sully's words about needing connections. "Then again, I guess it's the same with me."

"I dunno, you seem friendlier than her," he says.

"Yeah, well I don't really get involved with anyone," you explain.

"Why's that?" he wonders.

You stare at him. For all of your anti-social tendencies, you never really asked yourself "why”, so you do not have an answer for him.

What do you respond with?

A. "Do you have friends?"  
B. "You can't really have friends."  
C. Be Silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/LcYaeQV.png](https://i.imgur.com/LcYaeQV.png)
> 
>  
> 
> Yeah, this ended up being really long so I had to cut if off. But I felt like this needed to be a choice anyway.
> 
> But man, I'm not sure if I was in a good state of mind writing this, but hopefully the rapport between the protagonist and Sam gets a little better in the next chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> [By the way, I set up a poll to see which original characters everyone likes. It won't have any impact on anything, but it'd be nice to know.](https://www.strawpoll.me/15585504)


	28. More Talking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is it that whenever I want to cover a lot of time in a chapter, I end up not doing it? I'll explain in the end notes.
> 
> Oh and that third-person version of this fic I was talking about has been posted on [Fanfiction.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12927745/1/Out-and-About). Check it out if you're interested in seeing the protagonist developed properly as her own character. As I mention in the author's notes over there, I consider that version to be the definitive version, if anything, because I can properly foreshadow any backstory that I made up in later chapters.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: "Do you have friends?"**  
_**More Talking** _

"Do you have friends?" you ask him instead. "You talk about your brother a lot, but you don't talk about any friends."

"I have friends--I consider Chloe a friend," he defends.

"What about anyone outside of this line of work?" you press. "Like people you go out and drink with or whatever it is people do."

He sighs, "No, I don't."

"Okay, so why is that?" you counter his initial question.

"I've been locked up for thirteen years," he says plainly. "So what's your excuse?"

You ignore the question. "Then what about before then? You were leading a relatively normal life then, right? Didn't you have any friends?"

Sam is beginning to get tense. "No, I didn't. It was just me and Nathan, and that's all I needed. What's _your_ excuse? You keep asking me questions, but you're not answering mine."

The tone he uses takes you aback. The reason you keep countering his questions is because you do not have an answer.

"I don't know," you mutter. "I've been asked to go out for celebratory drinks after a job but I always turn them down. I don't really like spending time with people unless I have to. I'll date people, yeah, but when it comes to making friends…I just don't."

"I hear it's overrated," Sam tells you, taking a softer tone. "Nathan tried leading a 'normal' life, going out with the guys after work, he tells me he never really took to it, mostly hung out with his wife in his off-time." He sees your confusion and explains, "He did salvage work between giving up treasure hunting and going legit." You do not have anything to say after that, so he continues, "Don't you consider Marcel a friend?"

"Not in a casual sense," you reply, "I'm not about to go and hang out with him…mostly because with him it'll probably lead to sex or at least him trying." You lean your head up against the door, "But a real friend would know what's good for him."

"Are you talking about what Kohaku said?" he wonders.

You nod. "It never occurred to me until this job, that Marcel really isn't good at this whole treasure hunting thing."

"It's not too late to tell him," he suggests.

"Yes it is," you shoot back. "The time to tell him was before the heist, not after, when we're already in deep shit."

He cannot argue with you, instead her changes the subject, "Speaking of which, you can call him with Nadine's phone can't you?"

"Oh yeah," you realize. Then you remember, "Don't you have Sully's number? You could've called him last night."

It is clear that the thought did not occur to him until you bring it up. Regardless, you call Marcel using Nadine's phones.

He picks up after two rings. "Nadine?! Are you alright? We--"

"No, no, it's me," you tell him, explaining that you did not return Nadine's phone to her before she rushed off.

"An ambulance came by the gallery and picked her up," Marcel informs you. "They did not have their lights on, so I suspect they also work for Uematsu."

You have already figured as much. The fact that Chloe sent you the cryptic message tipped you off.

"I know where you are," he goes on. "I'll get over there right now."

"Okay," you say, "And please bring breakfast."

"Yes, I'm sure you and Drake are starving," he tells you. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

When he hangs up you just hold the phone in your hand.

"He's coming?" Sam asks.

"Yep," you reply.

"With food?"

"Hopefully."

"You know how long?"

You shrug. "Soon?"

He accepts this. "Soon then."

The two of you are quiet for a while.

Then, Sam decides to speak up again, "If you don't mind me asking, who was your cellmate in prison?"

"Mari," you reply. "Aren't they supposed to put you with who you were arrested with?"

He shakes his head in astonishment. "No, that's not supposed to happen--not that it hasn't happened to me, Nathan and I were put in a cell together once--but that's not the point. Did you really think stuff like that happens often?"

You shrug once again, unsure of what to say. "I've never really given it much thought."

"So anyway," he changes the subject, "You've been her cellmate and you still don't consider her a friend?"

"Not really," you tell him, "If you actually meet her, you'll understand." Then, you turn the question on him, "If you don't mind _me_ asking, who'd _you_ have for a cellmate in prison?"

"I didn't have many cellmates," he replies. "There was one, but…"

You are intrigued. "But what? You can't start a sentence like and leave me hanging."

He looks away for a moment, "This is something I haven't even told my brother--I mean, I kinda did, but I exaggerated--no, no, I flat out lied about it, let's be honest."

Now you are really interested.

After what seems like forever, he finally starts telling the story. "You know the name, Hector Alcazar?"

The name sounds somewhat familiar to you, but you cannot put a face to the name.

"He's this big-time drug lord from Panama," Sam explains, "At least he was, before he died about a year ago. Anyway, he was my cellmate for a few months, shortly before my release."

"Wow," is all you can say. Sharing a cell with a drug lord seemed like trouble; you wonder why Sam would share this with you.

"It turns out, he's only there because the Panamanian government got him on some tax law or something--I dunno," he continues. "But he pretty much ran the prison: a lot of the guards worked for him, he was best friends with the warden--well, this one was a different one from when I first got there, but yeah, it was a country club for him."

"Then how'd he get into a cell with you?" you wonder.

"I think it had something to do with the fact that I didn't exist in the prison records," he replies. "Anyway, I _think_ that was the reason why I got released."

You feel like you are missing a huge piece of the story, but you do not think he is comfortable with telling you that part.

"What I told my brother, on the other hand," he goes on. "Was that Alcazar organized a whole breakout, with guns and explosives…and that I owed him half of the treasure I was looking for…and that he gave me three months to do it."

You can tell he regrets what he did by the tone of his voice. "How did you really get out?"

"A few weeks after Alcazar had left, Rafe Adler came and bribed the warden to release me," he explains. "I spent two years with him, trying to find the treasure we were looking for thirteen years ago…without Nathan."

You had to ask why, if Sam speaks so highly of his brother, then why not go to him immediately after getting released?

"Two things," he says, "One, Rafe hated Nathan for all that he's accomplished, while he was stuck looking for that goddamn treasure. And two, he practically kept me prisoner, I could barely go to the bathroom by myself!"

"You had to have gotten away somehow," you point out.

"Yeah, Charlie and Chloe helped me out," he tells you. "I already knew Charlie and when Chloe found out I was Nathan's brother, she was on board with helping me."

"You guys didn't...kill Adler, did you?" you ask, remembering that he went missing over a year ago.

"No, no," he assures you, "In hindsight, I kinda wish we did. But he was heavily guarded by Nadine's army--"

"Nadine's _army_?!" you repeat, shocked. "If Nadine has an army, what is she doing with us?"

"She doesn't have it anymore," he informs you.

"Okay," you sigh, "At this point, you're just giving me of this story instead of just telling me the whole thing."

"Do you really want to know all of it?" he asks.

You are about to answer "yes" but you realize that it might not be a good idea. You had learned from Sully that Rafe was the reason that Sam had been left for dead in that prison in the first place; you want to know the whole story from Sam himself. However, you do not know how he will react to the fact that you went behind his back to get information about him from Sully. Still, you want to know more about him.

Then again, you might be able to hide this fact; what do you tell him?

A. "I want to more about Libertalia."  
B. "Tell me about Rafe."  
C. "What happened to Nadine's Army?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/T7KI7bD.png](https://i.imgur.com/T7KI7bD.png) (Late because AO3 decided to go down yesterday afternoon)
> 
> Well the choice from the last chapter annoyed Sam, and I think because of that, he'll be pretty disturbed if he finds out you were asking Sully about him. So my advice is...do what I do, hit "Entire Work" and see what phrase pops up when in case you've forgotten exactly what Sully told the protagonist.
> 
> As for the length...I couldn't just let this one go. I was going to do "yes", have Sam have a minor flip-out but I didn't think that was fair.
> 
> We'll get the opportunity to save Nadine...eventually.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh, and there's no option for saying "no" because it just occurred to me right as I was posting this, sorry!


	29. Getting a Clue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the pacing's a little off toward the end with this one because I literally just finished it. I was tempting to delay this until Thursday, but that would've meant two weeks with no update. Anyway, remember when I mentioned that I was going through a rough time when I had to start delaying updates a while back? Well among one of my problems was a sick cat, who I had to put down Wednesday night. So I've been dealing with that. I figured I'd keep you in the know since things like this are bound to affect my writing, hell it probably affected part of this chapter.
> 
> Sorry for starting on a downer, but it had to be said. But she was almost twenty years old, she lived a long a relatively happy life. [Here's a picture of her from when she was younger (and healthier)](https://i.imgur.com/A8aBW53.jpg).
> 
> Anyway, I do have to mention that the closing of the poll for the last chapter was delayed because AO3 was down when I tried to update it. Sorry to the one or two voters who didn't get represented in the Poll Results page, but Choice A won regardless.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: "I want to more about Libertalia."**  
_**Getting a Clue** _

Then, you figure out exactly what to say, "I want to know more about Libertalia."

He glowers at you, "How do you know what that is?"

You are not afraid, you are confident in your choice. "I don't, but Nadine mentioned it when she fought you yesterday--the day before."

Sam's face changes completely as he recalls this. "She did, didn't she?"

"So," you lean forward, "What is Libertalia? It sounds like the name of a country."

He chuckles, "You're not too far off." He leans forward as well, excited to tell the story. "No, Libertalia was a legendary pirate utopia, founded by Henry Avery."

You try to look excited and interested, but you have no idea who Henry Avery is.

Sam catches on quickly. "You have no idea who Henry Avery is, do you?"

When you shake your head, he goes onto explain exactly who this person is. It turns out, Henry Avery was one of the greatest pirates of all time, and one of the very few major pirate captains to retire with his loot intact, without getting arrested or killed--at least according to history, or so Sam says. One of his greatest feats was the Gunsway heist, where he attacked a trading ship belonging to a Mughal emperor and looted it of its four-hundred-million dollars in gold.

"Now, what happened to Avery was unknown, many thought that he died," he goes on. "But really, he and twelve other pirate captains pooled their treasure and founded Libertalia. According to the legend, they shared everything."

"So something like that can't exist in secrecy if it's still around," you point out. "What happened?"

"Well the pirate captains stole the treasure from the colonists so they revolted," he explains. "Long story short, they were wiped out."

"And the treasure?"

"After it was taken from the colonists, the founders turned on each other--it wasn't pretty."

"So they killed each other and the treasure was just left there?"

"That's one way of putting it, yeah."

"But you found it."

"Yeah, I took some of it and gave it to Nate and his wife, but most of it sank in a cavern on the island."

You are at a loss for words, but not completely surprised. After all, pirates are notorious murderers and thieves, popular culture has a tendency to whitewash pirates. But there is still more you wish to know.

"Okay," you begin, "Then what about Nadine? What happened with her?"

"Well, like I said, she was working with Rafe, so she was trying to stop us," he explains. "She got the drop on me and Nathan, and kicked our asses because we were holding back."

"That's…not really what I meant," you hesitantly tell him. "You said that the treasure sank in a cavern…but that you still took some of it…and I know Adler went missing months ago."

Sam takes a sharp breath before he continues, "Nathan wanted to get off the island, mostly because I lied to him about Alcazar. But I wanted to at least _see_ the treasure, I waited fifteen years at that point to see it. So I ran off, and he came after me. I made it into the ship, and Rafe came after me. I…blew something up, trying to kill him, and the entire hold--where the treasure was in caught fire. I didn't really care what happened to me at that point, I just didn't think he deserved any of it.

"A wooden beam fell on me, and all Rafe had were a couple of cuts and bruises. That's when Nathan showed up, trying to talk him into letting him save me. I was barely conscious, trying not to move or say anything that would make Rafe wanna finally pull the trigger and kill me. Then Nadine showed up, she took Nathan's gun away, and she took Rafe's gun away."

You blink, "Wasn't she working _with_ Rafe?"

"Yeah, well Rafe was a selfish, spoiled brat," he explains. "And she was fed up with the island since half of her men were wiped out on the island." He scratches the back of his head, "And I think Orca--he lieutenant made off with the gold she had took from the island, so I don't really blame her for what happened." He shifts a little, "But she did try to kill us on that island, so I do blame her for that."lly blame her for doing that."

"You were the one who held back," you point out.

He tosses a hand in the air in surrender, "Yeah, but that doesn't change anything." He takes out a cigarette and his lighter before remembering that he has no lighter fluid. He puts the lighter away but keeps the cigarette out. "So I told you about that, why don't you return the favor?"

You frown, "You want me to tell you about Mexico?"

"You don't have to," he assures you, "But I'm telling you all this, the least you can do is return the favor."

You sigh; you know he has a point. Besides, perhaps opening up to him will encourage him to open up more to you.

"My mother died when I was nineteen," you begin. "It was kind of a relief, since she was bedridden in the hospital for the last year. I felt so guilty, she was suffering and I couldn't do anything about it. My dad was a mess after she died. Before he met my mom, he was a compulsive gambler, and when she died, he went right back to it." You take a deep breath before continuing, "I stopped talking to him when I found out he pawned my mother's wedding dress to pay off his debts.

"Anyway, after college, I started working as a tour guide in an art museum." You pause for a moment. "I hated that job. I hated touring around groups of school kids who were only there because it meant no classes, half interested tourists and art snobs who thought they knew more than me because they looked up the artist on Wikipedia.

"Then, one day I had a man in one of my tour groups who was asking questions about a lot of the paintings. He was easily the most enthusiastic person who’s ever been in any of my groups. After the tour, I thanked him for making me enjoy my job, then he led me over to one painting in particular. It was a portrait credited to Luis López Piquer, but I told him it was more likely that his brother, Bernardo was the one who painted it, since he was the one who did portraits. Then, he asked me 'hypothetically' what someone would have to do to steal it. I told him exactly how the painting was secured--with motion sensors that were locked to individual walls, and because of how expensive that was, there was only one camera that was on a rotation."

"You know, telling someone how to steal a painting isn't very smart," Sam informs you.

You scoff, "The way he was talking, I didn't think he was serious…then, he told me the real reason he was there." You sigh as you swallow the pain that is associated with this memory. "My dad owed money to his employers, so they took him hostage. He told me that the painting was worth a hundred thousand on the black market due to the fact that historians thought it to be lost. If I helped him, they would set my father free."

"So you helped them," he concludes.

"What else could I do?" you ask rhetorically. "Sure I was mad at him, but I wasn't about to let him get killed. Besides, I felt guilty, since I thought that his gambling problem got worse because I cut him out of my life. So I helped him steal the painting, and the loan sharks let him go. My father promised not to gamble anymore if he let me move in with him, and he was true to his word until he died a few months ago."

Sam nods in sympathy for a moment. Then, he says, "So after that you just became an art thief?"

"The man who recruited me, Pavia, he was the one who convinced me to come work with him," you explain. "He said I would meet more people as interested as him in art and I would get more satisfaction in this line of work than working as a tour guide."

"And you never felt guilty about stealing from museums?" he wonders.

"After working as a tour guide, no," you tell him. "When I'm stealing a painting, I know it's going to end up somewhere where someone will appreciate it eventually. Besides, most people won't know the difference between a forgery and the real thing." You then give a light chuckle, "It's funny, when I was younger, I thought art thieves were stealing art from the people. I never realized how most people don't really care about art, and what the artist is trying to say."

"Yeah," he agrees, "I think it's because of TV and social media. When I jumped back into the rest of the world, I was surprised how much people were obsessed with put their lives online, rather than just living in the moment."

You nod, "I heard a story about someone who got arrested because they took a picture of themselves during a heist to put on Instagram."

Sam had to laugh, "Why would you do that?"

You find yourself laughing as well, "I don't know! People are stupid!"

"I mean, I take pictures too, but those are for myself," he says thought his laughter. "And when someone else finally looks at it the statute of limitations has already expired on that crime!"

Your laughter fades when you hear a knock at the door.

"I hope it's not that guy again," you frown.

You hear a Polish accent on the other side, "It's Marcel, I have food."

That is enough to get you to get up and let him in. He is holding a small bag in one hand, a tray table in another, the mailing tube that holds the scroll on his shoulder, and a backpack on his back.

"Here, I had Momoko make some bento for you," he hands you the bag.

You take it gratefully, "Great, we're starving."

You give one to Sam, along with some plastic cutlery, and sit back down to eat yours.

Right before he begins eating, Sam notices, "Hey, where's Victor?"

"I let Mr. Sullivan sleep, and have arranged for transportation here for when he wakes up," Marcel informs you as he puts the tray table against the wall. "Speaking of which, why weren't you able to sleep?" His question is answered when another train pulls into the station. "Ah, I see."

As the two of you eat, Marcel sets up the tray table so you can examine the scroll.

"What're you doing?" Sam wonders.

"There's a reason Uematsu wanted the painting--not a copy of it, but the painting itself," he explains. "There's something here he wants that we can't just see. Finish eating, I'll set this up." After a short while he continues, "By the way, what did you say to Kohaku last night."

You stop eating. "Why do you ask?"

"He was in a terrible mood," he informs you. "He practically threw the scroll at me."

You are hesitant to tell him. "I…called him a coward for not helping us."

Marcel groans a little. "You have to understand something about Kohaku. He's not a treasure hunter, he has no interest in what we do. Most of the time, if he says he can't, it means he doesn't want to." He continues setting up. "Still, I wonder why he was so angry about that."

By the time you and Sam are finished eating, Marcel has finished setting the table up. He had a little trouble when the train left the station, but the table was up and sturdy and all of the necessary equipment was put out.

Marcel takes out a box of vinyl gloves and hands both of you a pair before putting a pair on for himself. He then carefully removes the scroll from the mailing tube and places it on the table, putting paperweights on each corner to prevent it from rolling up.

You run your hand gently over the painting as you examine it. At first, it feels normal, having obviously been restored at some point, especially since it was originally in two parts. Then, you feel that the scroll was raised in some parts. The grooves are too consistent to be random mistakes. 

"Here, feel over here," you instruct Marcel. "What do you think?"

He feels the grooves for himself. "It's writing. The artist left a message on the back."

"What's it say?" Sam asks.

"Unfortunately, I can't read this," he says.

"You can read Japanese," you counter. "I've seen you do it."

"This is written in Hiragana," he explains. "I can read Kanji, Katakana, but not this, let alone backwards."

You groan, "Maybe Sully can read it."

"There may be a chance, but I doubt it," Marcel says.

"Okay, so how about the rest of the painting?" Sam wonders. "Maybe what it looks like whole?"

"Get my bag and all of the papers inside," you tell him. "Hopefully the research I printed out will help us figure this out."

Sam goes into the bathroom and returns with all of the papers from your bag. You compare the photocopy of the first part with the scroll you have now.

"It looks like he's looking at this cape from the shore," Sam observes. "Now, whether we know if it's an island or…"

"Maybe he's on the peninsula in the Kanto region," Marcel suggests. "I've never been there but maybe you can see the other side of the bay."

"I don't think we should take it too literally," you advise them. "Maybe the shore Minamoto's standing on isn't real, maybe it's symbolic. What's really important is what this landscape is."

You look closely at the painting and you notice something. Black lines on the grass that you did not pay much attention to, began to look like something else. It was abstract, but you think that the artist was trying to represent swords in the ground.

"I think he's looking over a battlefield," you say.

"What?" Sam takes a closer look at the painting.

"The artist is trying to give cryptic clues, but I think those black lines are swords," you explain. "This landscape must have been a battlefield."

"That doesn't really narrow it down," he tells you.

"Yeah, we need the last part of the scroll." You frown as you realize that this is more than likely a dead end. You hope that whatever is written on the scroll has some kind of clue to where the final piece is.

After several minutes of trying and failing to figure out anything else about the scroll, the door to the room opens.

"Sully!" you exclaim when you see him walk through the door.

"Mr. Sullivan," Marcel is just as surprised to see him.

"You thought you could just leave me behind, huh?" Sully somewhat jokes.

"I'm sorry, but I thought you would want to sleep more," he reasons.

"How'd you know where to find us?" you ask. Surely, he would have had to call to find out which room you were in at least.

"Well, I didn't come alone," he says.

He pushes the door open all the way, revealing Kohaku standing beside him, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.

"Kohaku," his name leaves your mouth when you see him.

"That's Shimino." For once, he does not bark it at you.

"What are you doing here?" Marcel asks.

"I've decided to help you." He glances at you briefly. "My reasons are my own."

"Okay," you say as he and Sully step into the room and close the door behind them. "We just found some hidden writing on the scroll, but it's in hiragana, and none of us can read it." You gentle trace the grooves in the scroll to show what you mean. Kohaku is about to touch the painting, but you grab his wrist. "You need to wear gloves." He wordlessly puts a pair of gloves on, and moves to touch the scroll again. "And you need to be gentle," you tell him.

He gives you a sideways glance before feeling the scroll. After a few minutes of running his hands over the painting, filled with awkward silence, he finishes.

"It says 'Kamakura' and 'Atami'," he says.

"Okay, what does that mean?" Sam asks. "I mean, Kamakura's pretty obvious, but what about 'Atami'?"

"Atami- _shi_ is a resort town known for hot springs," Kohaku informs you all. "I don't know what that has to do with anything."

You turn to Sam. "Look for it in the Kamakura shogunate book, maybe there's something about it in there."

He nods as he goes into the bathroom. In the meantime, you look at the information you printed out about the scroll. You note that one piece of the scroll originally belonged to a man residing in Kamakura, while the other one was donated by a historian who said he found it in Atsuta.

As Sam emerges from the bathroom with the book, you ask him to look up Atsuta as well.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Kohaku asks impatiently. You can tell he is also straining to be polite.

"I don't know," you admit, "I'm just trying to see some kind of a connection."

"You're doing fine sweetheart," Sully assures you.

"Both Atami and Atsuta are in the index," Sam informs you. "I'm looking it up right now." He turns a few pages. "Atsuta is where Minamoto was born…and Atami…apparently he and his wife visited it a lot."

You smile, as you inform the men about where the pieces of the scroll originated from.

"How much you wanna bet that first piece says 'Atsuta'?" Sully asks with a grin on his face.

Sam closes the book, "I guess we're going to Atami."

Kohaku clears his throat, "That's fine and all, but what are you going to do about Ross- _kun_?"

You had almost forgotten about her, and the text on her phone. You show the text to the men to see if any of them know anything about it. Sully and Marcel know nothing about it, but Kohaku has some idea.

"Miyajima is a private hospital owned by notable members of the Sumiyoshi-kai," he explains. "Ross- _kun_ is most likely there."

This means Nadine is most likely highly guarded by even more of Uematsu's men. Getting in and out is going to be much harder than the Brodeur gallery.

"Now, if we're going after Ross- _kun_ , you must know that I absolutely _cannot_ enter the hospital," he continues. "Are we going after Ross- _kun_?"

"Of course," Marcel says firmly. "I'm not losing her."

"As far as I'm concerned, you already lost her," Kohaku tells him. "I honestly think that going after her is an unnecessary risk."

"We're not just leaving one of our own," Sully presses. "They already have Chloe, we don't need to let Uematsu have another hostage."

"Yeah, but she was the one who ran off on her own Victor," Sam points out. "As far as I'm concerned, it's her own fault she got caught."

They look to you. They have made their stances very clear, it is up to you to break the tie.

Do you go after Nadine or head for Atami?

A. Head for Atami.  
B. Go after Nadine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/cFVCsPt.png](https://i.imgur.com/cFVCsPt.png)
> 
> Okay, here are your warnings: Going after Nadine will be harder than the gallery since you have no intel and you're going into their territory now. However, **this your only chance to rescue Nadine** , if you do not take this chance, Nadine is out of most if not all of the story and runs the risk of getting killed by Uematsu if you mess up hard enough.
> 
> You know what? I'm sure you guys already made your decision, I'll just get started on it right now.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	30. Choosing the Patient

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...don't have anything to say here. 
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: B. Go after Nadine.**  
_**Choosing the Patient** _

You barely have to think about it. "We're going after her, if we go on without her, we're pretty much giving Uematsu a point."

Sully and Marcel appear to be on your side, Kohaku does not seem to have an opinion, while Sam seems disappointed.

"You should know that Uematsu will have her heavily guarded," Kohaku tells you. You nod, and he simply blinks. "We will need a plan."

You, Sam, Sully and Marcel only look at each other, not knowing where to start. However, Kohaku has some idea.

"Now, Miwajima is one of the closest hospitals to Yamate, it would not be uncommon for _gaijin_ to be there, but it would still be suspicious," he explains. "We would need a _nihonjin_ to go in first."

"Okay, what's that?" Sam asks.

You can see Kohaku hold back his usual rude demeanor. " _Nihonjin_ \--me, Japanese."

"But you just said you couldn't go in," Sully points out.

"Not me, no," he confirms. "But there is someone I trust to go inside and gather information. Before we do that, we need a plan to get you inside without suspicion."

"It's a hospital," you say, "We just need one of us to get sick or wounded."

"It would have to be someone who's not integral to any _plans_ we make," Sully adds.

You, Sully and Sam look to Marcel, who is indignant to the prospect.

"No, you are not--" he tries to argue.

"Marcel!" Kohaku cuts him off, "What have you done so far? Throw money around?"

"I got the equipment--" he shoots back.

"And is no one here capable of that?" Kohaku looks to Sully. "Sullivan- _san_ , surely you can get weapons right now if you tried, correct?"

"I could, yeah," Sully replies.

Kohaku turns back to Marcel. "Losing Ross- _kun_ could have been preventable, if you had simply become more involved. Now you will listen to us, or you will end up losing someone else."

This seems to get to the playboy. "Fine, what are you going to do to me?"

That is a good question. He would have to actually be injured so there will not be any suspicion on you.

That is when Sam gets and idea. "Why don't we use this?" He picks up the gun off the floor to show everyone.

Kohaku quickly moves to take the gun out of his hand. " _Aho ka_? Guns are highly illegal, where did you even get this?"

Sam pulls it out of his reach. "Will you relax? It's a tranquilizer gun, we used it for the heist."

"Oh," is all Kohaku says.

"So you're thinking of knocking Marcel out?" Sully asks.

"It's a good way to get him in," you approve. "It won't cause any serious damage and it won't raise too much suspicion."

"As long as you can get him out before they run a blood test," Kohaku adds.

"It takes forever to run those tests, we'll be fine," you assure him.

"Then this is how it goes:" he begins. "I send my person in to 'look for a relative', and locate Ross- _kun_. After we locate her--and _only_ after we locate her--one of you will bring Marcel's unconscious body into the hospital."

"Now the question is," Sully chimes in, "Who's bringing Marcel in?"

Marcel gives you a pointed look; to which you respond, "No way."

"You can say I'm your husband," Marcel suggests. "It's easier to believe."

You frown at the prospect of attempting--and inevitably failing--to carry the playboy.

"Sully can pass for your father," you counter.

"Who goes to Japan with their parents?" Marcel questions.

"A lot of people," you retort. "I'm not carrying you into the hospital! Besides, Uematsu saw my face, what if I get recognized?"

"I hate to burst your bubble, but he's spent more time with me than with you," Sully reminds you.

You have to wonder whose side he is on.

"I highly doubt Uematsu himself will be at the hospital," Kohaku says. "Regardless, both options are plausible." He turns to you. "Is carrying Marcel really your concern?"

Under his glare, you feel compelled to be honest. "Kinda."

"A passerby may help you if that is the case," he explains. "Any decent human being will help a woman trying to carry her unconscious husband into the hospital. Now, what I need you to do is decide based on where you think you would be most useful: staying with Marcel and keeping up the act or going with Drake and finding Ross- _kun_."

Sam let out a noise of surprise. "I didn't know you knew my name."

Kohaku ignores him. "Answer honestly:

"Are you more useful with Drake or Marcel?"

A. Sam.  
B. Marcel.  
C. Kohaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/o409g0O.png](https://i.imgur.com/o409g0O.png)  
>  Okay, this one was a short one because this was a good place to put a choice. I was thinking of sending the protagonist with one of these characters (not saying who) but then I thought: why not let you guys choose where this goes? I think this is a good opportunity to change things up...hopefully.
> 
> And each choice has their own risks, so don't think one is more likely to succeed than the other.
> 
> Oh, and Kohaku's name is there for those who like to think out of the box.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	31. Checking In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it said June 7, but I kept getting sidetracked. You know, the more I write, the more I discover things about my characters. When...well, maybe I should save that note for the end. But I ended up starting a side chapter about Kohaku and writing more history to the Lister family before I realized I wanted to post this earlier.
> 
> I was well into the chapter before the poll closed, that's why the update's early. What a nice surprise, right? And no, I'm not making this permanent again--I can't. I can do earlier updates occasionally, but that's about it.
> 
> But without further ado, let's get started.
> 
> Thanks for all the support!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Sam**  
_**Checking In.** _

"I'll go with Sam," you tell him. "If it's him and Sully, they'll attract more attention than if it's us."

Kohaku crosses his arms. "How so?"

"Sully and Marcel can pass for father and son, Sam and Sully look too close in age for that to be true," you explain.

Sam furrows his brow. "How old do you think I am?"

You ignore him for now. "Sam and I can at least pass for husband and wife, looking for…I don't know."

"That is where my _nihonjin_ comes in," Kohaku assures you.

"And you said you trust this guy?" Sully says.

"With my life," Kohaku tells him confidently. "You have nothing to worry about. We can rescue Ross- _kun_ if we're careful."

You wish you shared his confidence, but the truth is, there is no telling how this will go down. Kohaku could be wrong and Uematsu might be at the hospital, waiting for you, or even Marikit could be there, recognize you and blow your cover. There are so many factors of uncertainty that can jeopardize the mission. Still, you owe it to Nadine to at least try and rescue her.

"Now," Kohaku leans up against the wall. "We also need to figure out how we are getting to Atami afterwards. No matter how this operation goes, we can't stay in Yokohama."

"I'll order a car--" Marcel opens his mouth for the first time in a while.

"No," he shoots him down. "No cars--easily trackable. We will use public transportation."

"You mean the trains?" Sam asks.

"No, I mean the--" Kohaku attempts to give a sarcastic response but catches himself. "Yes, we'll be taking the trains. There's a station nearby we can use."

At the moment, another train shakes the entire building.

"News to me," Sam quips sarcastically.

He rolls his eyes. "If there's nothing else, I'll begin preparations," he says as he begins to leave.

"Wait," Marcel stops him. "Take the scroll and everything."

"Right," he helps Marcel back everything up.

While they are doing that, you take the opportunity to talk to Sam and Sully.

"This is a bad idea," Sam tells both of you.

"We can't just leave her Sam," Sully informs him.

"Yeah," you agree, "It's my fault she--"

"No, no, it's no one's fault," Sully stops you. He turns to Sam. "If it were you, wouldn't you want someone to come after you?"

"Yeah," Sam relents, "But I don't think Nadine would be jumping on that bandwagon."

"Then we'd make her jump on," you tell him. You can tell Sam is genuinely touched by this comment, but attempts to hide it.

When the scroll and all the equipment, including the folding table are packed up, Kohaku leaves with it.

When he is gone, you speak up about him, "So what's with Kohaku's change in attitude?"

Marcel shrugs. "I guess he thinks it's better to be courteous to his partners?"

"I get the feeling he doesn't like us very much," Sam points out.

"To be fair, he doesn't like anyone very much," the playboy justifies. "By the way, in Japan, calling someone you don't know very well by their first name is considered rude."

You grimace as you realize why Kohaku is so adamant about being called by his surname. He might give up on being polite to you if you continue, so you decide to try and call him "Shimino" from now on.

Sam takes out a cigarette. "Victor, you got a light?"

Sully takes a matchbook out of his pocket and hands it to him. "You lost your lighter?"

"No, I ran out of lighter fluid," he explains.

"You don't carry any extra?" he asks. When Sam shakes his head, he sighs, "I should have some in my bag, where'd you put it?"

As Sam shows Sully into the bathroom where everyone's bags were, Marcel begins to talk to you, "How was last night?"

"It was fine until…" the building begins shaking as you trail off. "…that."

"No, I mean with Drake," he clarifies.

You suddenly snap at him, "Nadine is laid up in Uematsu's custody and all you can think about is _sex_?"

He begins to regret what he has just said. "I'm sorry, I--"

"I don't understand you men," you rant on, venting your frustration. "When things get difficult for you, the first thing you think of is sex! Well it's not a cure-all for all of life's problems!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Marcel tries desperately to calm you down. "I know it's inappropriate, I'm--I'm just trying to make small talk."

You realize that you were coming down too hard on him. "I'm sorry Marcel, there's so much going on, I don't think it's a good time for romance or anything like that."

He nods and looks away, "This isn't the first time I've lost somebody on a job."

"I know."

"And Kohaku doesn't think I do a very good job as a leader."

"I know."

He turns his head back to you. "Do you think I'm a good leader?"

The time for kindness has passed, you have to tell Marcel the truth. "Kinda? I think you've come through me in the past…but if you were just in contact with us during the heist, and got what we _needed_ , instead of getting that microphone--which we don't even have anymore--we wouldn't have to go after Nadine."

The words sting, but they needed to be said. You try to comfort him, but he refuses to hear anything else.

Sam and Sully emerge from the bathroom, with Sam smoking a freshly-lit cigarette.

"What's the plan now?" He asks.

"I don't know," Marcel replies. "I'll…make a call to Kohaku." He brushes past the men and enter the bathroom.

His change in demeanor does not go unnoticed by the men.

"What happened?" Sully wonders.

"I told him he wasn't doing a good job leading," you tell them.

The two of them understand immediately, both of them are experienced enough to know when someone is doing a good job leading an operation or not. You all wonder what is going to happen now.

"It looks like Kohaku--" you catch yourself "--Shimino's going to take over."

"But can we really trust him?" Sam questions.

"He hasn't given us a reason not to," you point out.

Marcel emerges from the bathroom. "We can start walking to the hospital. By the time we get there, Kohaku should be ready."

You all get ready to head out. You, Sam and Sully are all carrying your respective bags, while Marcel carries Nadine's bag. You begin the walk to the hospital.

It feels surreal to be walking the streets of Yokohama in the morning. The morning rush is just beginning, with people on their way to work and students on their way to school. You feel like a total outsider in this foreign country.

The half hour-long walk over is uneventful, it is not long before you reach _Miyajima no Komodo-tachi_ Hospital. The four of you remain two blocks away from the place, as not to tip off any of Uematsu's men who may be nearby.

"What's the plan?" Sam asks.

"We wait for Kohaku," Marcel tells him.

Almost immediately, an ambulance drives up beside you. Kohaku steps out from the driver's side, dressed in a Paramedic uniform with a long-sleeved shirt underneath, covering his tattoo sleeves.

"Should we ask where you got this from?" you wonder.

"I didn't," he replies.

"So who's the guy going in first?" Sully asks, trying to get a good look at the other person in the ambulance.

Kohaku opens the door, and to everyone's surprise, Momoko steps out in casual clothing.

" _O-ohayougozaimasu_ ," she bows nervously.

Her attitude now is the complete of her usual personality, pleasant and approachable. Now, she seems shy and anxious. All four of you are shocked to see Kohaku put her through this.

"You're sending _Momoko_ to do this?" Marcel scolds him intensely. "You have how many people at your disposal and you're putting _her_ through this?"

Kohaku stares him down. "All the men at my disposal are obvious Inagawa- _kai_ members. If _I_ can't enter the hospital, _they_ can't enter the hospital, _baka_." He puts so much venom in the last word, you can almost see fangs. "I believe Momoko is up to the challenge."

She attempts to convey confidence, "I won't let any of you down!" but only somewhat succeeds.

"Are you sure?" Sully asks.

"We need someone unassuming," Kohaku explains. "Momoko- _chan_ 's natural demeanor will make her appear harmless."

"Her 'natural demeanor'?" you repeat, finding it hard to believe that this is the same Momoko you met whist at the Lister house.

"Actually," Marcel begins, "This is what Momoko's like outside the house."

You blink. "What?"

"Momoko- _chan_ finds herself at ease at home," Kohaku explains.

" _Ano_ …" Momoko speaks up, "I feel safer when Cleena- _sama_ is around."

You can understand where the sentiment comes from, as Cleena is an unapologetic hitwoman, but you have to wonder what Momoko would feel safe from. Upon asking, she shies away from the subject.

"Enough, we're wasting time," Kohaku ends the conversation. "You can use the communicators you used for the heist. There was an extra one in the purse you used, so I gave it to Momoko- _chan_."

You had almost forgotten all about the communicators. You have to dig through your belongings to get to yours while Sam and Sully have theirs within easy reach.

"The settings we used for the heist should work," Marcel says.

"When Momoko is inside, I will signal to you, Marcel," Kohaku tells him as he gets back into the ambulance. Before he closes the door, he looks to Momoko and speaks to her in Japanese.

" _H-hai_ ," she replies, " _Roomu_ two-gee."

He smiles and praises her. Then, he looks back to you, "When she is clear of the hospital, I will take her communicator and we will plan from there. Understood?" When everyone confirms, he closes the door and drives away.

"Okay," Momoko says as steadily as she can. "When I go, please use a different route than me, so they do not suspect anything."

"If anything I think they'd suspect we're stalking you," Sully jokes, trying to lighten the mood. It seems to have worked when she laughs. When she is a block away, the rest of you compose the rest of your plan. "You two better stay away until Marcel is admitted," he advises.

When they leave, it is just you and Sam.

"What do you want to do?" he asks.

You shrug. "Do the tourist thing?"

The two of you wander around a bit while you wait for the rest of the group to get inside the hospital. You enter an alleyway and find several vending machines; one with soft drinks, one with chips, one with school supplies--strangely enough--and one with magazines. You see a teenager in a school uniform buy something from the school supplies vending machine and quickly leave, as if they were in a hurry.

Sam was interested in the machine with the magazines. He looks at it for a few seconds before announcing, "These are playboys."

"What?!" you have a knee-jerk reaction. You almost do not believe it, but upon further inspection, you discover that it is, in fact, filled with nothing but all sorts of different Japanese porn magazines.

The two of you have the same reaction, wondering who would want to buy porn so badly that they would buy it from a vending machine. Then again, you figure that it would take out the disapproving look of the cashier when you buy the thing.

You see Sam take out some money. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking in another country's culture," he says as if it is obvious.

"You're buying porn," you point out, somewhat disgusted.

"What? It's not like you're sleeping with me right now anyway," he points out.

You admit that is a fair point and say nothing else as he purchases the magazine. You look at the machines with drinks and you realize that you have not had your coffee yet, so you ask Sam to accompany you to try and find a coffee shop.

Most places are closed this early in the morning, but you find an open store with people going in and out. Before going in, you figure that this is a convenience store, but upon stepping inside, you see that this place is so much more. They have everything you would expect in a convenience store, but you also see a copier, a photo kiosk and even some sort of delivery counter. This reminds you less of a store like 7Eleven, and more like a Walgreens.

You see a coffeemaker in the corner, where you can make your own coffee and pay for it at the counter. You are relieved that you do not have to use Sam's translator on his phone to try and communicate with the cashier to get the coffee you want.

As Sam pays for both of your coffees, you hear Momoko speaking Japanese in the earpiece--she has entered the hospital.

"Alright, Momoko's inside," you hear Sully say. "I'll be bringing Marcel in through the back way, so you guys better go in through the front."

You grimace. "What do we even say? It's a yakuza-owned hospital, there's bound to be tight security."

"They might have a separate waiting room for the ER," Sully suggests, "I'll let you know once I'm inside."

You and Sam have nothing else to do, so you drink your coffee and look around the store, not really understanding what any of the products are.

"I was right," Sully speaks to you again after what seems like a long while, "All you guys have to do is give Marcel's name and you're in."

During this entire time, you have been hearing Momoko's nervous chatter, you wonder what she is doing.

"Sounds like there's someone trying to help her find her 'uncle'," Sully explains, "And it sounds like she found Nadine instead."

"So now she's trying to find a way out of this," Sam concludes.

You try to think of a way to help her, try and give her something to say or do to cover up her true intentions. In the limited time you have, you can only think of one thing: "Momoko! Tell them you're in the wrong hospital."

You hear more of her nervous chatter, until suddenly, she squeaks in shock and embarrassment. Her words are jumbled as you can tell she is trying to get out of the situation. With nothing more to do, you and Sam begin heading toward the hospital. When it is within sight, you see Momoko hurry out of the building.

"I-I think it worked!" you hear her say. "I don't think they suspected a thing! Thank you!"

"Great," you say, "Now what about Nadine?"

"Oh, room 2-G is on the second floor," she tells you. "There is only one elevator, the room is around the corner to your right."

You thank her, and she informs you that she will pass her communicator off to Kohaku as soon as she can.

You enter the hospital, and you see several doctors and nurses going in and out of the lobby, which also seems to double as a waiting room. The vigilant man sitting down with tattoo sleeves does not go unnoticed by you. You hope that he is not listening too closely.

"Welcome to the Children of Miyajima hospital," the receptionist greets you in English. "How may I help you?"

"Hi, my father just called me saying that he brought my brother, Marcel into the ER just now?" you tell her.

After typing something into her computer, she confirms your story. "Okay, what is your name for our records?"

You bite your lip as you realize you did not think of that. Making up a name is out of the question, as you may need to provide supplemental material to confirm your identity, like an address or something.

You are considering using your real name, but that might bring too much attention to yourself, as Uematsu's men are most likely informed of your name through Marikit. Then again, Marcel's name is even more of a red flag than yours. Your second choice is using Cleena's name as she _is_ Marcel's sister, but you are afraid of bringing attention to her household. But if Momoko feels safe with Cleena around, she may be able to handle any attention you inadvertently send her way. Finally, you can just make up a name on the spot, using Sam's last name, as Uematsu did not have any encounter with any "Drake"s. Then again, he may already know about Drake and it would not make any difference whatsoever.

So what name should you use?

A. Your own.  
B. Cleena's.  
C. Drake. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/dPW8r1Z.png](https://i.imgur.com/dPW8r1Z.png)
> 
> So, one of these choices will guarantee absolutely no encounters with thugs until you get to Nadine's room. But I'm not telling you which one.
> 
> Anyway, with Momoko's appearance, I gave her a bit of a backstory...which we won't learn in this story because Kohaku doesn't even know it, and we're probably not seeing Cleena again. But here's a little tidbit: Momoko isn't even her real name, only Cleena and one of her brothers (not Marcel) know her real name. And I began developing backstory for the Lister family, which we won't hear because Kohaku doesn't know it and Marcel doesn't want to talk about it.
> 
> Why am I telling you all of this? Because I might be inclined to make a stand-alone story about these characters (which may or may not include other Uncharted characters). If there's any interest in it, I might start it and post it on here. But not right now.
> 
> Thanks for reading, now if you'll excuse me, I need some breakfast.


	32. Serendipty-Doo-Dah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title is probably the most original of all the chapter titles so far.
> 
> And that's pretty much it besides the fact that there may be changes for me IRL, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
> 
> Thanks for all the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: Drake.**  
_**Serendipty-Doo-Dah** _

"It's Elena Drake," you say. "And this is my husband--"

"Nathan Drake," Sam interrupts you.

You give him a quizzical look as he gives a United States address. The receptionist accepts this and informs you of how to get into the ER waiting room, which the two of you promptly ignore.

When you are clear of the waiting room, the two of you ask each other, "What was that all about?"

You are astonished by the question, "Me? I just made up a name, I was expecting you to--"

"You used my sister-in-law's name," he spells it out for you.

You are shocked as the fact dawns on you. When you were considering using Drake's name, you must have subconsciously thought of Elena. You hope that you did not just put Nate or Elena in danger.

"It's okay," Sam assures you, "I gave them the address of an apartment they don't use."

"Plus, Elena never changed her name when she got married," Sully chimed in.

"Now, let's forget about it and find Nadine," Sam says as he heads for the elevator.

When you two are inside, you press the button for the second floor. But when the door is almost closed, you see a tattooed arm sudden stick itself in, causing the door to open. The arm belonged to the man from the lobby. The air in the elevator becomes tense as you and Sam are unsure of what to do first.

"We finally meet," the man sneers, "Nathan Drake."

Sam is completely surprised by what the man says. "Listen, I'm not--"

" _Damare_!" He snarls. "I heard what you told the receptionist. Today is the day I finally avenge my brother!"

You look to Sam who is utterly confused, but trying to diffuse the situation. "Listen, whatever happened to your brother but I--"

"I will hear none of your lies!" The man presses the button for the second floor and activates the emergency stop. The two of you are trapped with him.

The man takes out a switchblade and charges Sam; Sam is almost twice his size, and has no trouble holding him off, but the adrenaline rush is giving the man strength. You are not a fighter, but if nothing is done, this man can kill Sam. You analyze the situation.

Biting is the first option that comes to mind. If you bite down hard enough on the wrist where he is holding the knife, you might be able to get him to drop it.

You can think of no other effective option.

You grab the man's wrist and bite down hard. After a few seconds, the man screams and you feel his wrist slacken, so you release him and back away. Sam takes the opportunity to push him back hard against the elevator door. The force of the impact is so hard, he hits his head and is knocked out.

You and Sam take a moment to catch your breath.

"What the hell just happened?" Sully's indignant voice asks.

"Victor," Sam pants, "Do you know anything about Nathan killing the brother of a yakuza thug?"

"What am I, his secretary?" He retorts. "He's been to Japan once or twice, but I don't know anything about him killing anyone in particular, why?"

"Some guy just tried to kill me because he thought I was Nathan," Sam explains.

"And apparently, Nate killed his brother," Sully concludes. "I doubt that fight went unnoticed."

You look around for the camera and find that there is no camera inside the elevator. When you bring this up, Sam double checks for you.

"We might be in luck Victor," he says, "There aren't any cameras in this elevator."

"You're kidding," Sully replies flatly.

"It is a yakuza-owned hospital," you remind them. "Maybe there aren't cameras in here so they can get away with shady activity."

"Whatever the reason is," Sam points to the man, "We need to figure out what to do with him."

You frown as you try and think of some way of hiding the unconscious man. You ask Sam to move him out of the doorway so you can get the elevator to the second floor. It moves as soon as you hit the button for the second floor and the doors open to an empty hallway. The only person there is a janitor with headphones on, too engrossed in his work to notice the world around him. You peek outside, you see no cameras in the hallway, and there is an empty stretcher beside the elevator door. Quickly, you help Sam put the man on the stretcher and you cover him with a sheet so that he will go unnoticed by anyone walking by.

At long last, you hear Kohaku's voice in your ear. "What are you doing right now?"

"Oh nothing, just beating up random thugs," Sam says to him.

"No one saw us," you chime in.

"Regardless," he moves on, "By what Momoko told me about the room's location, I can bring the ambulance under the window. You can escape like that."

"Isn't Nadine injured though?" you remember.

"Then you carry her and jump out," he says. "We don't have time to argue about the details."

Not wanting to argue, you and Sam head around the corner.

However, before you turn it, you stop when you hear a familiar voice. "But I feel fine doctor, Tommy just worries too much."

"You've had two fainting spells in twelve hours Paris- _san_ ," you hear a Japanese accent reply, "You husband has good reason to worry."

"Is it Marikit?" Sam asks, alarmed.

"No," you reply, "It's the woman who caused the distraction for me at the event."

Sam blinks, "So? I don't think she'll recognize you."

"She was really grateful for that tampon I gave her," you explain. "Plus, she'll recognize one of the few foreigners she's met in Japan."

"What's happening, where is the woman?" Kohaku wonders.

You peer around the corner to actually see what is going on. "She's in a wheelchair, arguing with her doctor right next to 2-G. We'll have to take the long way."

You and Sam turn around to go the other way. The two of you pass a nurse who is somewhat suspicious of you.

" _Nanika tetsudaimashou ka_?" she asks you.

"We're visiting a friend," you call over your shoulder, "We know where we're going!" The nurse does not understand you, but goes about her business anyway.

"We won't get very far if people keep noticing us," Sam says. "We need some kind of disguise." When he says this, you turn a corner and see an abandoned wheelchair with a hospital gown next to what appears to be a broom closet. He blinks at the serendipity of it all. "Does no one clean up around here?"

"We can use the broom closet to change," you approach the wheelchair and take the hospital gown, it is big enough for either you or Sam to wear it.

"But the question is, which one of us is going in the wheelchair?" Sam wonders.

"It should probably be you," you tell him. "I'm a little more unassuming."

"That's true," he says. "But I'm more useful in a fight, and I can't really fight in that thing. That thug probably tipped off his friends."

"You're right," you realize, "But if he tipped someone off about us, wouldn't there be more people up here? Maybe in his 'quest for vengeance,' he didn't tell anyone about us."

Sam looks around to confirm that there are no yakuza thugs in the hallway, but he sees two doctors talking to each other at the other end. "Whatever it is, we need to make a decision before those two see us."

You look down the hallway and see the doctors, so you wrack your brain to make a decision.

Who goes in the wheelchair, you or Sam?

A. You.  
B. Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/S0tmbsE.png](https://i.imgur.com/S0tmbsE.png) 
> 
> Should this matter? Well yeah, put some thought into it, there's an important encounter coming up.
> 
> I actually wanted to put a choice in the elevator scene, but I couldn't think of anything besides "try to incapacitate the wrist" so I just stuck with biting.
> 
> Oh, and in case you wanted to know, it was the Cleena choice that had no encounters. I've dropped one or two hints in story that she is feared by the criminal element in Japan. (Chapter 17 and a minor one in the previous Chapter 31). **And you might wanna keep this in mind for the rest of this rescue mission**.
> 
> But this isn't bad, and yes, the revenge-driven thug didn't notify anyone that you and Sam are in the hospital, hence, serendipity.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	33. Unexpected Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, early update. Yeah, this chapter's pretty short, and because of all the quick decision-making that needs to be done, I think I'll go back to the seven-day update cycle for the remainder of the hospital rescue mission. But next week is the Fourth of July and that day's going to be hell at my job. But it should be fine, just pay attention to the dates in the summary when the poll closes.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: You.**  
_**Unexpected Encounter** _

"Fine, I'll do it," you tell Sam as you get into the broom closet. 

When you try to close the door behind you, he puts his foot in to stop it. "I need to get in there too with the chair."

"There's no room!" You squeak. 

"We'll have to make room 'cause I can't let those doctors down there see me just standing around," he informs you. 

It is a tight fit, but you, Sam and the chair are able to fit inside. You make sure he has his back to you before you start changing into the hospital gown. You leave your bra and underwear on under the gown, and decide to take off your shoes to make it more convincing. 

When you are finished, Sam makes sure the coast is clear before stepping out. You get into the wheelchair and allow him to wheel you to Nadine's room. On the way, you pass a nurse who gives the two of you--mostly Sam--a long, hard look. You wonder if it was the nurse you passed before. 

"She is definitely onto us," Sam mutters. 

"Then let's get to Nadine before she calls someone," you whistle. 

It is not long before you arrive at room 2-G. The door is closed, but you hear talking on the other side. 

"Someone's in there already," you tell Sam. 

"Then you better be ready for me to bowl you in there if there's trouble," he replies. 

You do not appreciate the fact, but you understand that if you were outnumbered, there are few other options. You open the door and he rolls you inside. You are shocked by who you see. 

It is Chloe, hovering over Nadine, talking to her. 

She looks up at you and smiles, "Ah, I see you got my message." She looks back to Nadine, "Told you."

"What are you doing here?" You ask as Sam closes the door behind him.

"Making sure Nadine is okay," she replies. 

"Now that you're here, all of us can leave," Sam says. "Where's Charlie?"

"Not here I'm afraid," she frowns. "Uematsu didn't exactly trust us together here."

"He doesn't trust you at all," Nadine tells her. 

"Yeah, the entire heist was a set-up," you add.

"Yes, Nadine mentioned that." The way Chloe says this makes you think that Nadine did more than "mention" it to her. "Listen, I realize I'm playing a dangerous game here but--"

"Then why'd you get Charlie involved?" Sam presses. "He didn't have any reason to--"

" _I_ didn't get Charlie involved," she cuts him off. "Uematsu kidnapped him about a week before he took me--for leverage."

If this is true, then Uematsu must have been planning this from the moment Marcel asked for the scroll. You wonder how intricate his plan really is. Perhaps this rescue mission is part of his plan as well. 

"You don't need to worry about me," she continues, "I have everything under control."

"No you don't," Nadine tells her.

"That's what Uematsu wants you to think," you agree. "Just come with us, and we can figure out--"

"You don't understand," she insists, "Without me, Charlie is useless to Uematsu, and if I go with you guys right now, he's as good as dead."

This is really difficult, and you begin to think that getting out of the situation with everyone alive is impossible. Uematsu is playing an incredibly dangerous game of chess, and he holds all the pieces. The thing about chess is that you have to lose a few of your pieces in order to win, so perhaps you should begin thinking that way. 

If Chloe has any chance of staying alive, then she needs to prove to Uematsu that she is still useful to him. She was the one who told you that Nadine was here, she is responsible for you being in the hospital right now. So what would Uematsu gain from this? He can have you killed, which was what he was trying to do the night before, or he can get information out of you through Chloe. 

Right now you have a head-start on Uematsu by knowing that the last piece of the scroll is somewhere in Atami. If you tell Chloe right now, you might just save hers and Charlie's lives. 

What will you do?

A. Don't say anything.  
B. Tell her about Atami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/MMjVSBk.png](https://i.imgur.com/MMjVSBk.png)  
>  **TIE BREAKER AUTHOR VOTE: B** (Didn't think I'd have to do _this_ again. But it's Thursday evening, and I don't think anyone else is going to vote.
> 
> Now this is tricky. You don't know what Uematsu has up his sleeve, maybe this was his intention all along. After all, he's a powerful yakuza figure, he can have you all killed right now if he wanted to, but why hasn't he? Is it because he views your group as the superior treasure hunters and he's just letting you do all the work just to nab it out from under you in the end? Or is it because he's out of his element and has no idea what he's doing? Or is there something else he has planned? It's up to you guys to figure out what he's doing.
> 
> I mean, _I know_ what he's planning. So I invite you guys to discuss this in the comments, try and work as a team to figure out what going on. Who knows? You might give me a few ideas.
> 
> This is a Choose Your Own Adventure story, why not have some more input?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	34. Convincing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Tell her about Atami.**  
_**Convincing** _

You have to tell her, even if it means that the yakuza will be there. If you tell her this, then maybe Uematsu might think that she and Charlie are still useful, and increase their chances of staying alive.

"Listen Chloe," you begin, "After this we're going to Atami."

She frowns. "What's in Atami?"

You shrug, as you are not entirely sure what is there yourself. Even if you knew, you would not tell her; it is better not to give Uematsu too much information. You are expecting the verbal abuse that Kohaku is bound to dish out for telling her, but it does not come.

Chloe crosses her arms, "That's pretty bold, telling someone on the opposite team where you're going."

"If I didn't, how useful are you to Uematsu?" you ask.

She is taken aback when she realizes exactly what your plan is. "Well, in order for this to work, it'll have to be _convincing_." She glowers at Sam, making him uncomfortable.

"Okay, what do you mean by 'convincing'?" he asks hesitantly.

"Like this." She pulls out a pair of handcuffs and cuffs Nadine's arm to the railing of her hospital bed.

"What are you--!" Nadine protests, but Chloe ignores her.

"I'm not letting you take Nadine without a fight," she informs you and she makes her way toward you.

"Oh boy," Sam mutters to himself, not finding a way out of this. He leans down to whisper in your ear, "Remember what I said, if there's trouble."

You grip the armrests of the wheelchair as you realize what he intends to do. "Sam, please, don't."

He does not listen, he gives the wheelchair a shove and it rams into Chloe. The sudden stop when it makes contact throws you from the chair, into Chloe, knocking the two of you to the floor.

She tosses you off her and stands up, only very slightly hurt. " _Really_ Sam?"

He tosses his bag to the floor. "You said it had to be convincing," he reminds her.

"That doesn't mean you throw a bloody wheelchair at me!" she scolds him.

When the two of them begin fighting each other, you get up and make your way over to Nadine, who's tugging at the cuffs.

"Let's get you out of here," you say to her.

"'Get out'?" she repeats incredulously. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes," you tell her, "We're jumping out the window. There's an ambulance we can land on."

"Good plan," she says, "Except I got shot in the leg last night, I can't do any jumping."

"Sam can carry you."

"Over my dead--"

"Do you want to go around the long way? With yakuza thugs expecting us?"

Her silence is all the reply you need.

You examine the handcuffs. "What did she cuff you to the bed?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Nadine retorts. "You can pick handcuff locks, right?"

"Right…" you tell her slowly, not wanting to tell her the truth.

You have some idea what to do when it comes to picking locks, but you never had much experience with it. Sam can pick locks, but he is busy with Chloe at the moment; but he should have a lockpicking kit somewhere in his bag. Another option would be to try and get the keys off Chloe's person--these are her handcuffs, she should have a key.

You look to the two combatants, Chloe apparently has the upper hand on Sam--who is most likely holding back. If you are to get the keys from Chloe, you would have to get involved and risk seriously hurting her. And getting the lockpicking kit from Sam's belongings would be no easy feat either--you can risk breaking all the lockpicks and be stuck.

Should you get the kit or help with Chloe?

A. Get the kit.  
B. Help with Chloe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/o5TPKcW.png](https://i.imgur.com/o5TPKcW.png) 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	35. Knockout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, my computer was trying (and failing) to update Monday night so I couldn't upload.
> 
> Also stress from the past few weeks have possibly affected my health, but I'll keep you updated about that.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Help with Chloe.**  
_**Knockout** _

Sam looks like he is losing the fight against Chloe anyway, so you decide to help. The only thing you can do is tackle her so that is what you do. The two of you hit the ground with a hard crash. She tries to get you off her, but you punch her in the face, and that seems to knock her out cold.

"Is she all right?" Nadine asks quickly.

You get a good look at her face; the area where you made contact with your punch--around the eye--is red and beginning to swell. When you try to get a closer look, her eye slowly opens, looks at you for a second, then closes--she is faking unconscious.

You look to Sam and Nadine and decide to sell it. "She's out cold."

"You--" Nadine tries to jump up from her bed, but the handcuffs stop her.

"She'll be fine," Sam tells her, "She's survived worse than this."

You look in Chloe's pockets for what you attacked her for in the first place--her handcuff key. You find it relatively quickly and go to unlock the handcuffs.

"So what are we doing about Chloe?" Sam asks, "We can't just leave her here."

"We can take her with us," Nadine immediately suggests.

"We can't," you reply, "Charlie's dead if we do."

"I don't give a DAMN about Charlie!" she snarls.

You glance over at Chloe, knowing that she is listening, and you see her grimace for just a second, clearly not approving.

"You're not in any position to be giving orders," Sam reminds her. "If we're taking Chloe, we're leaving you."

"Fine, leave me here," she says, "I can take care of myself."

At first, Sam is responsive to the idea, moving to pick Chloe up, but you stop him.

"We're taking you and that's it," you firmly inform her. If she were actually unconscious, it would be a different story, but since she is not, there is no way. "We can handcuff her to the bed in Nadine's place, that'll make it believable."

Nadine begrudgingly gets up from the bed while you help Sam get Chloe onto it. You lock the handcuffs and place the key on the nightstand next to the bed. Sam goes to the window and opens it, seeing that it was not a long drop down to the ambulance parked under the window. He climbed into the window, took an unwilling Nadine into his arms and jumped. The two of them landed safely on the ambulance.

It was not until now you realized that you do not have a way to get down yourself--not in the hospital gown. Kohaku comes out of the ambulance and helps Nadine down.

Sam turns to you. "Just jump, I'll catch you."

Sounding like a good plan, you begin to climb into the window.

You stop when you hear an unexpected voice in your ear, " _Hola amiga_."

"Marikit," you utter, surprised.

You hear Kohaku curse, "I'm changing the frequency."

" _Matte!_ " That is directed at him, " _Geijutsuka no senmonka ga kettei shite mimashou._ "

Kohaku makes eye contact with you. "Do we listen to her?"

"We have information for each other," Marikit says to you in Spanish. "What you learned from the painting in exchange for insight into hospital security."

"Friendly reminder that Marcel and I are still down here," you hear Sully. "It might be worth the trouble."

Of course, the only information you would have to give her is that Chloe has the information she needs. Still, you know Marikit, if you cooperate with her now, she will play mind games to pry more information for you.

Even so, you still need to get Sully and Marcel out of there. You may need to get them out yourself if you do not listen to her.

What will you do?

A. Hear what Marikit has to say.  
B. Change frequency and jump out the window.  
C. Go downstairs to help Sully.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/fKtMuq7.png](https://i.imgur.com/fKtMuq7.png)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	36. Under Their Noses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I wanted this one to be a longer chapter, but it just didn't end up being so.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Hear what Marikit has to say.**  
_**Under Their Noses** _

Marikit might have something you would want to hear, so you decide to hear her out. You tell her that you are going to hear her out, and you speak to her entirely in Spanish.

"You go first," she says, knowing that she has the upper hand.

"I told everything to Chloe," you tell her somewhat untruthfully.

"Where is she?"

"Laying down in Nadine's bed."

"Oh," she sounds somewhat embarrassed, "I didn't realize that they were…"

"She wishes," Sam chimes in, also in Spanish.

"No, we rescued Nadine already," you inform her. "We knocked Chloe out and now she's unconscious and handcuffed to the bed."

"Oh, that um…" she clears her throat, "That makes sense, yes."

"Now tell us what you know," you request.

"Well I'd say you're in a pretty good place," she admits. "Ross is out of the hospital, you gave Uematsu a reason to keep Frazer around, and Marcel's already untouchable with his sister's reputation."

"So what about me and Sully?" you wonder.

"Well they don't know where you are yet," she assures you. "Sullivan, on the other hand…"

As she trails off, you hear Sully curse and the sound of popping in your ear as well as muffled pops through the walls of the hospital.

"Sully!" you exclaim as you hear Sam call out his name as well.

"I'm okay," Sully tells you, "When she said that Marcel was safe I got out of that waiting room ASAP."

"It sounds like my work is finished," Marikit says, "Uematsu's men are heading to Ross's room now, you might want to think of a plan. _Ima sugu shuuhasuu o henkou suru koto ga dekimasu_."

Assuming that she was informing Kohaku that she is finished, you speak again, "Mari…thank you."

"This wasn't a favor, it was an information exchan--," she clarifies before she is cut off.

"So what are you doing?" Sam asks you.

That is a good question. You are worried about Sully, but you also have to think about yourself. Perhaps jumping out of the window would not be such a crazy idea at all.

Then, you hear someone outside shout _"Asoko! Sore wa gaijindesu!_ "

You hear Kohaku curse and come out to shout at Sam, " _Kyuukyuusha o orite kudasai!_ Get off!"

Sam needs to get off the truck to avoid getting shot at, you cannot jump down. The only way out now is through the hospital.

"I'll go through the hospital and meet up with Sully," you tell him. He looks between you and Kohaku, so you continue, "I'll be fine! Get out of here!"

Not wanting to give them a reason to stay, you get away from the window and formulate a plan. The thugs are on their way, you cannot fight them because you are in a hospital gown.

That is it.

There are numerous foreigners who are patients in the hospital, if you can pass yourself off as one, you might be able to fool them. You look to the bed and see the IV bag that was once plugged into Nadine's arm. You look at the end of the line; the pin is still inside Nadine but if you can put the tube in the crook of your elbow, it will look like it is plugged into you.

You do so, and make sure that you keep your elbow bent at all times so that the tube does not fall down and ruin the illusion. You carefully leave the room and shuffle back the way you came, hoping that the thugs will take the short route.

Surely enough you hear numerous voices in Japanese from the way you came. You pick up the pace a little, but not too much that it would be suspicious. The hallways are mostly empty; you figure it is because of the thugs running around. When you get to the elevator, you press the call button and hope that it does not take too long.

It only takes a few seconds for the elevator to come, but there is a young nurse inside. At first, she greets you warmly, but the more she looks at you, the less comfortable she is. You can only hope that she does not tell anyone.

You spend the ride down in an awkward silence, the two of you seemingly afraid of each other. When the doors open to the ground level, the nurse walks swiftly out of the elevator. You frown as you realize what this means.

"Sully, where are you?" you ask, "They're going to find me out."

"Sorry sweetheart," you hear Sully apologize, "I don't have a good idea of where I am in this place."

"Focus on getting out," you hear Kohaku advise you, "They can't go out in the street after you."

He has a point, but still, you are worried about Sully. The two of you would be able to fight off the thugs if you are together, especially with you in a hospital gown. Then again, the two of you are split up, if you are together, you might have less of a chance of survival.

Should you try to find Sully or get out right now?

A. Find Sully.  
B. Get out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/LWVjiy1.png](https://i.imgur.com/LWVjiy1.png) 
> 
> Saying it right now, if you get caught: **It's over. No second chances, to opportunity to escape.** If the yakuza thugs outnumber you and take you captive while in the hospital, that's it. And the danger doesn't stop at these choices either.
> 
> Thanks for reading and good luck.


	37. Where to Look

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Find Sully**

_** Where to Look ** _

You figure you have a better chance of getting out with Sully than you would without him. 

"Sully, what's something nearby I can look for to find you?" you ask. 

"Right now I'm crouched behind some kind of desk," he says. 

"So you're by the front entrance?" you wonder. 

"I have no idea, I had to move pretty fast," he tells you. "It could be a reception desk, could be a nurses station."

"Is there a receptionist or a nurse?"

"No, there's no one around."

Now that he mentions it, there have not been any hospital staff walking around from when you left Nadine's room. You figure it might have something to so with all the thugs running around. 

"Stay put Sully, I'll try to find you," you assure him. 

You move as quickly as you can while still trying to put on the illusion that you are a patient. The truth is, you are not entirely sure where to go, so you go further into the hospital, in hopes that he is at a nurse's station rather than a reception desk.

The further you go, the more you realize that you are the only person in the hallways. You are discovered as soon as someone notices you.

Sure enough, you hear a voice with a heavy Japanese accent, "Hey lady!"

You toss the IV drip to the side and make a run for it. You hear gunshots and instinctively dive to the floor around the corner. You quickly get up, knowing that these men are not taking prisoners. There is a nurse's station up ahead--it may be where Sully is hiding.

A thug appears at the end of the hall, he appears unarmed, but you do not know for sure. With enough force, you may be able to run into him and knock him down. There is also a chance that Sully is lying in wait, ready to help, but still, you are not sure. You also have to consider the men already behind you. 

Do you stand and fight or try to knock into him and keep running?

A. Fight  
B. Run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/NQh9kOW.png](https://i.imgur.com/NQh9kOW.png)
> 
> Yeah, this one was criminally short. I tried thinking of ways to make it longer but it all seemed unnecessary since the hospital isn't that big.
> 
> But just remember that one of these choice could result in a bad end.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	38. Running Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anything I say right now will be spoilers. Hell, making the chapter title was difficult.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Run.**  
_**Running Girl.** _

Staying and fighting is suicide, so you decide to make a run for it. You charge at the man in front of you. He seems confused at first, so he does not expect you to run straight into him, knocking him down. You quickly get up and continue running.

When you turn the corner, you hear Sully in your ear, "Great job, that was enough of a distraction to let me get away."

"You were under that desk?" you pant, only slowing down slightly to talk.

"Yeah, listen, I can get out from here, just worry about yourself."

"Ar-are you sure?"

"From the sound of that gunshot before, you need to focus on yourself."

"Okay, right."

You can feel yourself getting tired, but your body is still going, bent on survival. You keep running, unaware of where you are actually heading. You hear some more gunshots, this time, more distant--it is most likely Sully, trying to escape on his own.

Finally see an exit, guarded by two yakuza thugs pointing their guns at you. You stop when you realize this and turn around only to see that the men have finally caught up to you, one of them pointing his gun at you. You back away from them, knowing full well that there is no escape.

"S-Sully," you stutter, "It's over, I-I've been caught. There's armed m-men at the exit."

"Listen, it's all right," Sully assures you. "I got one of their guns--they're packing blanks!"

When you hear this, everything suddenly makes sense--why would they use live ammunition in a _hospital_ of all places?

Armed with this knowledge, you turn around and charge toward the exit. The men fire their guns are you, hoping that the sounds of the gunshots would cause you to stop in your tracks. You do not stop, you keep running. The men are surprised by this, and you push past them through the doors of the hospital. Under normal circumstances, they would have been able to grab you, but subverting their expectations worked to your advantage.

You run out into the street, not caring what direction you go. You keep going, not stopping for anything. You hear cars honking people yelling at you in Japanese, but you do not care, you must put as much space between you and the hospital.

All of a sudden, a man appears in your path. You are prepared to knock him over just like the rest, but this one catches you. You struggle to escape, but to no avail.

"Hey! Hey!" the man protests.

When you recognize the voice, you turn to look at the man's face--it is Sam. You are so relieved your body goes limp; in fact, you black out altogether.

When you wake up, you find yourself on what appears to be a train. You take in your surroundings, you see Nadine sitting across from you, fully dressed, relaxing with her head tilted back. Kohaku is standing up next to her in front of the doors, looking at his phone, dressed in the casual clothes he had been wearing earlier that morning.

"You're finally up," you hear Sully say. You look beside you and find that you are sitting between him and Sam. "I was starting to get worried."

"How long was I out?" you ask, surprised that you fainted at all.

"About two hours," Sam informs you.

"My clothes," you mutter as you look down to see what you are wearing. They are the same clothes that you were wearing that morning.

"Nadine dressed you," Sully assured you.

Something else seemed wrong. You look at each of your companions, trying to figure out what is missing.

Then, you figure it out. "Marcel!"

"He's fine," Kohaku tells you, not looking up, "Cleena picked him up already. He's going to try and come to Atami, no matter what I say."

"We could've rested--" you begin to say.

"No, we couldn't," he cuts you off. "After giving that information to Frazer- _san_ , we cannot afford to waste any time."

"I did what I had to, to keep her safe," you tell him.

"I'm sure," he replies, not seeming to care either way. "But we have to be prepared either way. Even without the information, Uematsu would've had us followed. This way, it's less stressful."

"I still say you should've taken her instead," you hear Nadine.

"Don't be ungrateful Ross- _kun_ ," Kohaku berates her. "Remember who risked their lives for you."

Nadine lifted her head to look at you, Sam and Sully. You think that she is going to remain silent and tilt her head back, instead, she speaks.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I let my emotions get the better of me. And you put yourselves at risk to save me. Thank you."

"It was the right thing to do," you tell her. "Your distraction actually let us get out of the gallery alive."

"Then I suppose we're even then." She puts her head back.

"But it won't be happening again," Kohaku informs her sharply, getting her attention. "Marcel may accept that kind of behavior, but I won't. We are working together towards a goal," he turns to you, Sam and Sully to include you, "Your emotions have no place in the mission, understood?"

You all nod at him in understanding, and he goes back to his phone.

After a minute or two of silence, you look around the train car, wondering why it is empty--only to find that it is not empty--the other handful of commuters are staying far away from you.

"Do we smell bad or something?" you have to wonder.

"No, they're avoiding me because of my tattoos," Kohaku explains nonchalantly. "Best way to guarantee space."

"It also didn't help that we were carrying you," Sully mentions.

"Yeah," Sam laughs, "They probably thought we were kidnapping you."

You frown. "I hope we don’t attract the cops or anything."

"Carrying a sleeping girl around is hardly behavior to call the cops over," Kohaku says. "We'll be arriving in Atami soon."

You are surprised. "Already?"

"Yeah, these trains run pretty fast," Sully says.

You stand up and find yourself mildly fatigued, most likely from all the running. You look out the window, surprised at how close Atami is to the ocean. When you heard that Atami is known for its hot springs, you expected it to be in the mountains.

The train pulls into the station smoothly, which makes you wonder why the safehouse you were in before shuddered so much with the trains. The four of you follow Kohaku, who is still on his phone, yet seems to go exactly where he is going. He is so engrossed in it that you expect him to bump into something or someone. However, he seems to be playing just enough attention to his surroundings not to walk into a wall, and everyone is going out of their way to avoid him.

It must be easy to engross yourself into your phone when you know everyone is avoiding you.

He leads you to what looks like a bus stop. After a few minutes, a bus arrives, and Kohaku simply tells you to get in and take a seat. You assume that he will take care of the fare or tickets. The five of you end up taking up the entire back row of the bus.

"Hey, where exactly are we going?" you ask, realizing that you really have no idea what is going on.

"Don't worry about it," Kohaku tells you.

You roll your eyes. It seems that Kohaku's rude behavior has returned, perhaps the way the hospital rescue ended left a bad taste in his mouth. Regardless of the reason, his behavior is annoying.

You turn to Sully in hopes for an answer to your question.

"We're going to a safehouse," he says. "Once we get settled, we'll figure out where to look first."

You have no idea how long this bus ride will take, but you figure it would be a good time to look at your book to give you a clue. You go into your bag and pull out the Kamakura shogunate book, but Sam puts his hand on it.

"Hey, maybe you should relax for a while," he tells you.

"I've been knocked out for two hours, I'm relaxed enough," you reply.

"Hey, I'm not a shrink or anything, but fainting right after an experience like that isn't a good sign," he informs you.

"I…uh…" you are at a loss for words.

"Listen," he continues, "You're not used to this stuff, so maybe you should take it easy for a little while. I can look through the book for…whatever it is we're looking for."

You understand that he is concerned for you, but you are fine. You are past that experience and are ready to take on the next one, right?

What do you do?

A. Do research.  
B. Give the book to Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/zoq0iCI.png](https://i.imgur.com/zoq0iCI.png)
> 
> I almost had you for a sec, didn't I? Well you narrowly avoided the bad end. If you tried to fight in the last chapter, Sully would come out of hiding and help the protagonist, and the two of them would escape together. However, as a consequence, there is no way either of of them would know that the thugs were using blanks. So when they get to the exit, the two of them end up surrendering anyway.
> 
> But that begs the question, if the thugs were using blanks, then that means that they had no intention of killing you, but then why use guns in the first place then? Why put on the illusion?
> 
> But back to this chapter.
> 
> Yeah, you have to remember that the event, the heist and the rescue all happened withing twenty-four hours of each other. Now you have to worry about the protagonist's mental health. If too much stress is put upon her, well, let's just say fainting will be the least of her concerns. But also remember you're racing against Uematsu, so time is a factor.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	39. Out of the Fryer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, long chapter AND early Monday update? Maybe it's because we're back to non-life-threatening situations, but I was just so eager to write this chapter.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Give the book to Sam.**  
_**Out of the Fryer** _

"Okay, you win," you sigh as you give the book to Sam.

"Don't worry, I'll figure something out," he assures you.

With nothing better to do, you lean your head on his shoulder and doze off.

After a while, you are woken up by Sam telling you that you have arrived. You follow him off the bus to see that Sully, Nadine and Kohaku are ahead of you. The group follows Kohaku around the corner into a cluster of houses bunched together. This was vastly different than the neighborhood of Yamate; the people living here are most likely working class or just a little bit higher.

Kohaku leads you into the yard of a two-story house, similar the rest of the houses. An older Japanese man opens the door to greet you.

" _Omae wa tashika ni ima, mondai o kakaete iru,_ Shimino- _kun_ ," he says, almost tauntingly.

" _Urusai_." Kohaku replies bitterly.

You have no idea what they are saying, but you catch Sully's expression, he is not happy.

"What'd they say?" you whisper to him.

"I'll tell you later," he whispers back.

You all enter the house, it is very small--not in a claustrophobic way, but in a cozy sort of way. The general style is a mix between western and Japanese style--but mostly Japanese. You all remove your shoes and place them on the shoe rack before stepping inside. The man talks to Kohaku some more before leaving. You look to Sully to get an idea of what he was saying, and he does not make the same face he did when the man first spoke.

"There are three bedrooms," Kohaku explains, "Including Marcel, we'll all have to share. I'll share with him, considering his nature around women."

It makes the most sense--Kohaku is Marcel's brother-in-law after all.

"And I suppose the girls will be sharing as well," he continues.

Sully is not pleased at the prospect of sharing a bed with the grabby Sam; it would make more sense for you to share a room with him since you have had no trouble sleeping despite his habits. Although, this time, you feel like you are more willing to. The past two nights, nothing had happened between the two of you because you had turned him down both times. You wonder about accepting his advances this time--after all, you do like him.

You turn to Nadine. "Do you mind sharing with Sully? I can take a room with Sam."

"Why?" she wonders.

"Sam's grabs people in his sleep," Sully explains, "Makes it hard to sleep, at least for me."

"And you're fine with this?" she raises an eyebrow.

You nod, "We've been sharing a room for the past two nights."

She looks between you, Sam and finally Sully. "I'm okay with it."

The older man sighs in relief, "Thanks, I'm sure you're a better bunkmate than Sam is."

"I'm sure," she says, earning an annoyed sigh from Sam.

"I see," Kohaku looks between you and Sam, "Just remember we have a job to do, keep any extracurricular activity to a minimum."

You notice Sam giving you an expectant look, but you do not say anything in response to this.

Instead, you change the subject, "So what are we doing?"

"For now, we'll put our bags down and get settled," he says, going upstairs. "And I need a smoke."

When he is out of earshot, you turn to Sully, "What were they talking about before?"

"Let's talk about this later, when Kohaku goes out for his smoke," he replies. "We'll meet in your room."

Everyone agrees to do so and you all go upstairs to put your stuff down. Sully finds Kohaku while Nadine enters the closest room, leaving the room down the hall, next to the bathroom for you and Sam.

The two of you enter the room, it is much better than the last safehouse. The room was well kept, as with the rest of the house. Sure, there is still a futon, but it looks much comfier than the last one and is on a wooden platform--off the floor. There are also some floor cushions to sit on and a small table to sit at. There is even a lock on the door. You let out a sigh of relief at the prospect of a good night's rest.

You lay down on the futon, letting out a big yawn. You feel exhausted, despite it being the early afternoon at the latest. You feel hungry and wonder when you are going to eat.

"At least we're not on the floor again," Sam sighs, looking down at you. "We're on a box this time."

"The futon is a part of Japanese culture," you educate him, "And this feels _so_ much better than that mat we were on." You pat a spot beside you, "Come on, try."

He clearly does not expect you to say this. He gives you an uneasy look before sitting down. You wonder why he is acting this way; if you were being this inviting the night before, Sam would be jumping down next to you.

Before you can say anything else, Sully and Nadine enter the room and close the door behind him.

"We have a couple of things to talk about," Sully begins.

"First off: why is Shimino here?" Nadine presses. "He was talking about starting a gang war the other day and now he's working with us?"

"He's not going to start a gang war by helping us," you assure her.

She narrows her eyes at you, " _You_ convinced him to join us, didn't you?"

"Without his help, we never would've gotten you out of there," you counter.

"Regardless, he can't be trusted," she pointed out neutrally.

"Marcel trusts him."

"Marcel's sister is a deranged hitwoman--he's not the best judge of character."

She has a point. Still, you find yourself trusting Kohaku regardless.

"Listen," Sam speaks up, "He didn't have to help us, but he did, isn't that enough?" You are a bit surprised to hear him come to Kohaku's defense, despite not seeming to like him.

"About that," Sully speaks up, "The guy who was here before, he was saying Kohaku was in trouble."

That is what Sully was grimacing about early. The exchange was so brief that you know that he does not have any details. This can mean anything, but you suspect that Sully has assumed the worst.

"It can mean anything," you insist. "You aren't actually thinking--"

Sully puts his hand up to stop you, "I don't know what to think. I know we can use his help right now. All I'm saying is that we don't actually know Kohaku, and that we need to be careful around him."

You frown. Perhaps you were a bit hasty in asking Kohaku for help, but he seems to be trustworthy from what you have seen.

"Maybe I can ask him what the trouble is," you suggest.

"That's not a good idea," Sully shoots you down. "If you do that, you might let on that you're onto something hinky with him, and it won't end well for any of us."

"Besides, he'll probably lie to you," Nadine adds.

They have good points, but still you want to try.

"Well we can't worry about that right now," Sam says as he gets up. He fishes a cigarette out of his pocket, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going out for a smoke."

"I think I'll join you," Sully goes to follow him. "Don't think we'll be doing anything until Marcel gets here."

When they leave, Nadine stays behind.

"What do we do now?" she asks quietly.

You are unsure of what she means. "Um, wait for Marcel."

"I mean about Chloe," she clarifies. "We may have missed our only chance of rescuing her."

She is worried about Chloe. You realize that she is showing a vulnerability to you that she is uncomfortable with showing the men. You wonder if it is because the two of you are the only women here or if she trusts you to a point. Despite why she is saying this, she may be right. You wrack your brain for any solution that will benefit everyone, but it does not exist. You do come up with a solution, but it has a cost.

"How much do you want the katana?" you ask.

"I couldn't care less about it," Nadine replies, "It's Marcel who wants it."

"So maybe if we get to the katana first, we can trade it for Chloe and Charlie," you suggest.

"It wouldn't work," she shoots it down right away. "Uematsu would just kill us and take it anyway."

"I don't know what kind of people you've dealt with, but if we play our cards right, he'll have no choice but to cooperate," you explain. "Kohaku and Marcel would know what to do."

"But would he go along with it? Marcel, I mean."

"I know Marcel, he'd be more than willing to give it up if it means saving Chloe."

Nadine starts becoming receptive to the idea, "Do you think that would work?"

You shrug. "It's the only plan I got."

She nods. "I suppose it will do for now."

"You should take this time and rest," you tell her.

"I feel fine," she replies.

"Yeah, but they're on _my_ case about it, so someone has to be on your case too," you smirk at her.

She gives a small chuckle, "Fair enough."

She leaves the room; you are unsure if she is going to follow your advice or not. Regardless, you feel tired, so you close your eyes and lay on the futon.

You are woken up by Sam; you do not know how much time has passed.

"We're starting to make dinner," he informs you.

"Great, I'm starving," you yawn as you get up. "Is Marcel here?"

"He'll be here soon."

"Soon?" It takes you a moment to register what he has said. "If we're not eating right now, why'd you wake me?"

"I wanted to talk," he replies, sitting next to you on the bed.

"About what?" you wonder.

"This entire time, I've been coming onto you and you've been saying 'no'," he explains, "So I'm just wondering: what's with the change in attitude?"

You know the reason, but you are very reluctant to explain why. "I…"

He sighs. "Was it because you almost got killed today?"

Your eyes widened as he guesses correctly.

He gives a short laugh, "Figured as much. Nothing like dodging bullets to remind you that life is short."

The way he is so casual about it makes it a little easier to open up.

"I…I'm scared," you admit. The fear in your voice is what gets Sam to take this seriously. "I'm not like you--I'm an art thief, the only thing I have to worry about is getting caught by the police. I never had to worry about dodging bullets and getting tortured by the yakuza!"

He nods. "Yeah, I get it." Then, he says something you do not expect, "I'm scared too."

He was acting so casual about getting shot at and with the amount of experience under his, you did not even consider that he feels the same way.

"We're all scared," he continues, "Hell, you'd be stupid not to be. You, me, Victor, even Kohaku--I bet it's the reason why he's pissy all the time." The jab at Kohaku makes you smile a little. "But you can't let it get to you, you gotta just keep moving--you're alive and that's all that matters."

"Maybe you're right," you say.

"Of course I'm right, we're still breathing, aren't we?" he jokes.

You smile. "I guess we are."

"Okay, and as much as I'd like to do anything else right now, we gotta talk shop."

"You found something in Atami?" you ask.

"I'm onto something, but I think I need to do some internet research," Sam explains. "But I was talking about Kohaku." You sit up when he mentions him. "Victor has a point, about us not knowing him very well."

"What do you want me to do?" you wonder.

"Go talk to him," he tells you. "I figured you're pretty good at getting people to open up to you." You have to admit, he has a good point. "And he's getting ready to cook dinner so it's a great time to make conversation."

You stretch and get up from the bed. "Okay, sounds easy enough." Then, you decide to clear up something that has been nagging at you. "Hey, earlier, why did you defend Kohaku? I didn't think you liked him enough to say anything."

"He was worried about you when you were knocked out," Sam informs you. "We were talking when Nadine was getting your clothes on in the ambulance--we hadn't met up with Victor yet. Don't get me wrong, I don't trust him all the way, but he didn't have to be concerned."

"There's a lot of things he didn't have to do," you reply. "That's why I wanted him to help us."

"Well here's hoping you're a good judge of character," he says.

Considering some of your exes, you are not entirely sure of how true that is. Regardless you head downstairs, you consider what to talk to Kohaku about. The most obvious option is the "trouble" the man from before was talking about earlier, but you are not sure if he would even tell the truth about it. Then, you think about talking to him about his family; he had mentioned his father to you the other day, but not much else, making you curious. Then, of course, there is also his marriage to Cleena; sure he has talked about it before, but since the revelation that he is pretty much living off her, you are even more curious about their relationship. And, finally, there is his concern for you that Sam had been talking about earlier, which you would like to know more about.

You enter the kitchen--which was cozy like the rest of the house--to see Kohaku looking through the cabinets. The apron he is wearing makes him look like a male housekeeper, which is humorous to you.

"What's for dinner?" you ask.

"You'll know when it's ready," he replies, not stopping to look at you.

"Maybe I can help," you offer.

"You don't know what I'm making."

"Do you?"

He stops what he is doing but does not answer you.

"I can make rice," you say, noticing the lack of rice-cooker in the kitchen.

"Anyone can make rice."

"Yeah, but I'm the one offering to help you."

He finally looks at you and sighs, "Fine, prepare some rice. I'll make _onigiri_."

"That's rice balls, right?" you ask as you go to the stove to start on the rice.

"At least you know something about Japanese cuisine."

You roll your eyes. "This isn't my first visit, and besides, I bet you don't know anything about my country's food."

He shrugs as he gets some meat from the freezer. "Fair point."

Kohaku seems open to conversation now, what should you talk to him about?

A. The "trouble".  
B. His family.  
C. His marriage.  
D. His concern for you.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/rqp52wH.png](https://i.imgur.com/rqp52wH.png)
> 
>  
> 
> Wow, four choices. The last time we had that was chapter 12, and now we're on 39. That's like, at least half a year.
> 
> Anyway, none of these will have any negative impact later on, Kohaku won't get insulted over anything you say and all of these have useful information for later on. So really, it's what you want to learn from him. So you can just relax with this one.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	40. Honor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, but I was dead tired last night.
> 
> And I may be considering changing the update schedule. I know I'll be closing the poll on Tuesday instead of Monday this week since they have me working on labor day at my job.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**B. His family.**  
_**Honor** _

Talking about his family might allow him to become more accessible so you talk about that. You take a few minutes to begin preparing the rice while Kohaku gets a pan ready to cook the meat he has. You wonder what kind of meat it was, chicken, beef, pork? It could also be seafood, but you cannot be sure.

"You don't strike me as the cooking type," you begin, "Your mom taught you?"

"Both of my parents taught me," he replies. "They thought it should be useful if I find myself living alone."

"Yeah," you agree, "After all, everyone has to move out sometime."

Kohaku shakes his head, "In Japanese culture, it is common for adults to live with their parents, to take care of them in their old age."

You understand. "Yeah, it's common in other cultures too." You decide to throw in a detail about yourself, so the conversation does not turn into an interrogation. "I lived with my dad for a few years before he died a few months ago."

He looks at you sympathetically. "My condolences."

You smile lightly at him. "Thanks. I'm just glad I made up with him before he died."

He furrows his brow. "I don't understand people who become estranged from their parents."

You regret bringing yourself up as this conversation is quickly becoming about you."

"He had a gambling problem," you say quickly, hoping to convey your disinterest in talking about it. "It sounds like you respect your parents a lot," you change the subject. "I remember saying something about your dad a few days ago."

"Yes, I try to emulate my father's example." You notice that he is slowly becoming somber.

"I'm sorry, did something happen to your parents?" you ask delicately.

"My father was killed when I was a teenager," he informs you unemotionally. "My mother gave up shortly after I joined the Inagawa- _kai_."

"I'm sorry," you say, beginning to regret asking. "Was he killed by a rival gang?"

He looks at you and raises an eyebrow, "How do you know he was yakuza?"

You shrug. "Usually, joining a gang isn't sign of respecting your parents, unless your parent was one." Honestly, it was just a lucky guess.

Kohaku accepts this. "Yes, but it wasn't a rival gang, he was betrayed."

You look uneasily at him. "That's not uncommon in this line of work."

"For an organization that prides itself on honor, it is," he explains.

"'Honor'?" you repeat, "Last time I checked, we're both _criminals_ , there's no honor there."

He began to become insulted. "You know nothing about the yakuza!"

"Really?" You cross your arms, not concerned about the perceived insult. "Tell me where the honor is in kidnapping and torture."

"Uematsu is the obvious exception," he says as he avoids eye contact.

"And you've never done any of that while you were in the yakuza?" You accuse him.

He says nothing and continues cooking. The two of you are silent for a while.

"You know," he finally speaks up again, "Years ago, yakuza were respected by the civilians." You are intrigued by this; to your knowledge, no one really respected organized crime in any country--they mostly feared it. "They viewed us as a necessary evil--keeping small crimes off the street, providing security that the police could not provide."

"So what happened?" you wonder.

"Law enforcement came down," he explains, "Cut our numbers, made us go into hiding. I wasn't alive for it, but my father told me that being yakuza was better back then. Many high-ranking officers claimed they were descendants of historical figures--including Uematsu, he believes that he is directly descended from the Minamoto bloodline himself."

You are immediately of something Sam's brother had said a few days ago: "More like fanatics, you have no idea how far they were willing to go to get these things."

"That must be why he wants the katana so badly," you realize. "Wait, if you knew that, why didn't you warn Marcel before any of this happened?"

He pauses. "Believe me, if I knew, I would have told him immediately. But I found out after Frazer- _san_ was kidnapped."

You suppose that makes sense, after all, what would Kohaku do with this information before everything happened.

"It's an insult to the Minamoto name," he continues, unprovoked, "That a man like Uematsu would claim that he's related to great men like that."

You notice that the usually subdued yakuza member was getting very emotional. There must be something he's not telling you, some personal grudge he has against the man.

Then something occurs to you: Kohaku never specifically said his father was Inagawa himself.

"Kohaku," you begin, he does not even wince at the mention of his given name. "Was it Uematsu who betrayed your father?"

He looks despondent down at the meat, you have clearly struck a nerve with him.

"My father was an honorable man," he begins, "He respected his superiors and his subordinates alike, and they respected him. One day, a man above his immediate superior noticed his hard work and made him an offer: kill his boss to take his job. Of course, my father refused. But that man wanted my father's superior out of the way for his own reasons, so he sought someone else."

"Uematsu," you conclude.

"He was an aspiring member at that point," Kohaku explains, "His father had yet to retire. Because of what he did, he was promised his father's position when he retired."

"So he killed your father?"

"Worse than that," he says darkly, "Not only did he kill my father's superior, but his subordinates, and several other of his superiors as well."

You gasp at the thought of such a terrible act. Sure, after what you have heard about Uematsu so far, it does not surprise you, but is still horrifying.

"And he framed my father for everything," he continues, unprovoked. "No one could vouch for his innocence--everyone who could was dead." He gripped the edge of the counter, his knuckles turning white. "He became so hated, that _okaa-san_ and I had to go into hiding."

You assume that he means his mother. "And your father?"

"He committed _seppuku_."

You know what the term means, it is a form of ritual suicide that samurai used to perform. It is still performed in modern day to restore honor to themselves or their family.

"I believe he did it to protect _okaa-san_ and I," he goes on, "But it wasn't enough, they tried to find us anyway. We had to stop using my father's name in order to protect us."

"Then Shimino is…?"

"My mother's name. No one even knows I'm my father's son."

"If you don't mind telling me, what was your father's name?"

He relaxes a little and gives a slight smile, "Kitsuneou. It means 'great fox'. My father always told me to take pride in it, since the fox is a noble animal." He chuckled a little. "That never stopped my schoolmates from making fun of me." He began to imitate a child's voice, " _Sore wa Gureito Fokkusu da yo! Fokkusu Makuraudo wa dokodesu ka? Boku wa Surippii ga sukuwa reru hitsuyou ga aru to omou_!"

You are completely lost.

It takes him a moment to remember who he's talking to. "I'd translate for you, but I don't think you'll understand."

You take his word for it.

Then, you decide to ask a question that had been bugging you as Kohaku told his story. "Did you not want to help us because you were afraid of Uematsu?"

He takes a minute or two to think before answering. Perhaps he is deliberating on what to tell you. Finally, he sighs, "I told you before, my reasons are my own." He continues cooking, not wanting to talk anymore.

The two of you are silent as you finish cooking dinner. When the rice is finish, Kohaku dismisses you as he prepares the rice balls. You go into the dining room to find Sam waiting for you.

"What'd you find out?" he asks.

You realize that you had only learned a small detail about Uematsu pertaining to your current situation.

"Well, Uematsu thinks he's descended from Minamoto," you tell him.

Sam shrugs his shoulders as he recalls what his brother had said as well, "Yeah, well, that's not really surprising. Come on, you were in there for a while with him, what did he tell you?"

Is what Kohaku told you Sam's business? Is it really your business in the first place? Maybe it is okay, to tell him, since he seems to be good at keeping a secret.

Should you tell Sam about Kohaku's past?

A. Yes.  
B. No.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/7DkNGAl.png](https://i.imgur.com/7DkNGAl.png)  
>  **TIE BREAKER AUTHOR VOTE: A** (After a long fight, a coin flip decided the outcome.)
> 
> So yeah, I've had this backstory for Kohaku for some time, hence why he became a more important character after the heist. But now we know he has a personal connection with Uematsu, what could this mean?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	41. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's Monday somewhere.
> 
> I'm not too happy with the length but with the direction I headed here I had to make a choice. Here's a clue as to what it is: a repercussion of a choice I warned you about MANY chapters ago.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Yes.**  
_**Trust** _

"Okay," you relent, "But you can't tell anyone else."

You can already tell Sam is not going to like what you are about to say. You give him the short version: that Uematsu had caused Kohaku's father to commit suicide and Kohaku himself to abandon his father's name.

"So what you're saying is," Sam says, "He has no reason to betray us to Uematsu."

"Yeah," you agree.

He seems to accept this. "Okay, but you know you could have gotten some more useful information from him."

"The fact that we can trust him isn't enough?" you point out.

"I wouldn't go that far," he tells you. "I mean, yeah, that's a good reason to hate Uematsu, but…that's not the only problem."

"Then what is?" you ask.

"He's still yakuza," he reminds you. "What'd his bosses do? Give him vacation on short notice? Crime lords aren't known to do that."

You frown. "So you think he's still working for his bosses?"

He nods. "Maybe they want the katana for themselves."

Your eyes widened as you consider this possibility. Sure, you do not care about the katana, but you and Nadine have decided that it is necessary to rescue Chloe and Charlie.

"We need that katana," you tell Sam, concerned.

Before he can inquire further, Marcel enters the room, not looking too well.

"Are you okay?" you ask.

"Tranquilizers have horrible side effects," he informs you. "Enough about me, do we know where to look for the last scroll?"

"Oh yeah, I'm onto something but I need a computer," Sam tells him.

"I'm sure I can persuade Kohaku to let you use one," Marcel assures him. "Where is he right now?"

You gesture to the kitchen behind you. "Making dinner."

"Then I guess we will be discussing everything after dinner." He goes to one of the cabinets in the room containing plates.

"I'll get Victor and Nadine," Sam says as he leaves the room.

You decide to help Marcel set the table. But when you approach him, he gives a very unexpected response.

"What do you want?" he asks coldly.

You balk at this. It is so unlike Marcel to say something like this, you ask what is wrong as soon as the shock wears off.

"Kohaku told you to talk me out of treasure hunting, before the heist," he says in an accusatory tone.

You recall the conversation, but you are still confused by Marcel's tone. From what you heard from Kohaku, it seemed like something he was saying all along; so why is he angry?

"Okay yeah," you admit, trying to get him to keep talking, "So?"

"You knew I would screw it up, and you didn't stop me!" He practically shouts.

Your jaw drops at this outlandish accusation. When you had decided not to talk Marcel out of treasure hunting, you did so because you had confidence in his leadership. Now you realize that confidence had been misplaced, but you stand by your initial decision--you did nothing wrong.

You chalk Marcel's unjust anger up to his discomfort from the tranquilizers and his incredibly compromised emotional state. Still, you realize that you are treading uneven ground here, what you say now may jeopardize your friendship with him. You can try calmly reasoning with him, but you are unsure if he will even listen when he is like this. Conversely, you can get as riled up as he is now and assert your point; Marcel has always been known to back down from confrontation.

How will you respond to Marcel's accusation?

A. Calmly.  
B. Assertively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/0IiqItG.png](https://i.imgur.com/0IiqItG.png)
> 
> Okay, were any of you expecting that? No? Yeah, I just kinda wrote it because Marcel's in an emotional state and he doesn't exactly know how to feel or deal with what's happening properly. Sure, he's lost people on jobs before, but no one's ever cared to actually challenge his authority before. Usually if people think he's a bad leader, they just get the job done regardless and never work with him again. With Kohaku basically hijacking his position and the protagonist confirming that Kohaku has been right all along flipped his world upside down. But you can learn about that by choosing the correct choice.
> 
> Also as mentioned before, this is a repercussion of the choice from Chapter 19. I did mention that it would affect the friendship between the protagonist and Marcel. I mean, when a friend's doing something wrong a good friend would try to steer them in the right direction. If the protagonist had tried convincing Marcel to give up treasure hunting, he would have brushed off her comments like he had so far with Kohaku's. But he does consider that if two people said something about it, then he should change something. So instead of getting the directional mic, he decides to be more proactive and be on the frequency during the event (hence the extra earpiece that the protagonist had) him listening in directly to learn about moving the timetable for the heist allowing him to get the blueprints just in time. And the blueprints would have made things much easier for the heist.
> 
> Okay, so you guys didn't get a good idea that Marcel's a crappy leader until after that choice, so you couldn't have known. But Nadine (deservedly) punching him in the face didn't sour the relationship between them, a stern talking-to wouldn't destroy one with more history like his and the protagonist's.
> 
> Whew, I think this note had more words than the chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> ...
> 
> Huh? Hint? I already gave it.


	42. Putting Your Foot Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, the moment I decide to just do a week-long update, I can't decide where to end the chapter! But I guess that's good for you guys 'cause that's more for you to read. Bad for me because I almost didn't get this out in time. In a perfect world I would get these chapters out the morning of the day instead of at night.
> 
> Speaking of updates, you may have noticed I changed the update/poll closing days from Monday/Thursday to Tuesday/Friday. Yeah, I did this because I have off on both Tuesday and Friday, while I work Thursday, and sometimes those days can be long. So I figured it'd be better if I just changed it. Hell, it already makes me feel better.
> 
> Anyway, character relationships are the name of the game in this chapter 'cause that's all we're gonna see.
> 
> Thanks for voting! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Assertively**  
_**Putting Your Foot Down** _

"You have no right to get mad at me Marcel," you glower. "This is something Kohaku has been telling you for a while. If you didn't listen to him, what makes you think you would have listened to me?"

"You--!" He is clearly startled by your backbone, but he does not back down. "You've worked for me! If you had any problems--!"

"I didn't think you'd screw up!" You counter. "I thought that in a tight spot, you'd pull through, but you didn't! I should be the angry one, not the other way around!" You are getting to him, so you decide to drive your point home. "If you were just more involved, instead of throwing money around, we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

"But it's the only thing I'm good at!" He shouts at you. "I'm not smart, like you or Frazer, strong, like Drake or Ross, or even charming like Sullivan! I can't even get respect like Cleena or Kohaku, but my money does that for me!" Then, he realizes something, "But…it's not even mine…it's my father's…and it's not as if I'm really entitled to it…"

You quickly see that this is getting personal for him. "Marcel--"

You are unsure if he is ignoring you, or if he did not hear you. "I'm not even his son! I'm just…an obligation. I don't deserve all this fortune…" He collapses to his knees. "I'm nothing…I always have been." He puts his face in his hands. "I always hoped that collecting artwork and artifacts would bring me… _something_."

You want to say something, anything to get him up, but the truth is, you do not know Marcel well enough to make him feel better. This side of him is something you have never seen before; it puts him in a new perspective. You have always thought of him as this playboy with too much time and money on his hands, indulging in treasure hunting to satisfy his whims. Now, you see him for what he is: a lonely misfit trying to find his own self-worth.

" _Kangaesugiruna_." You turn and see Kohaku standing in the entryway between the kitchen and the dining room. "You are not nothing, do not ever call yourself that."

"B-but that's what you think, isn't it?" Marcel asks him weakly. "Isn't that why you want me to quit treasure hunting?"

"I want you to quit so you do not end up with even more blood on your hands," Kohaku clarifies. "Do you not realize how painful is it to hear you with stories of your failed endeavors? How you could have saved those people if you had simply acted like the leader you were supposed to be?"

Marcel seems more confused than anything at these words. "Then what am I? If you don't think I'm nothing, then what do you think I am?"

"You are Lister Marcel," he says simply. "I don't associate with you simply because you are my wife's brother. You are more honorable than most men I've met in my life." He allows these words to sink in before adding "You are my friend."

"Friend...?" Marcel mutters to himself.

"Yes, and an honorable man such as you would have made many friends around the world."

"Friends..." he repeats the word to himself, lost in thought. Then, suddenly, realization pops onto his face. "T-that's it! I know what to do now!" He practically jumps back onto his feet. "I know how to save Miss Frazer!"

" _Matte_!" Kohaku calls after him as he attempts to leave the room. "Whatever it is, it can wait until after dinner. I'm almost finished."

When he returns to the kitchen, you turn back to Marcel. "What's it?"

He seemingly returns to his normal self. "The simplest solution, I cannot believe that I didn't think of it yesterday!"

Your give him a dry look. "If it's so simple, why haven't I thought of it?"

"Because it's not for you to think of!"

You take his lack of clarity as "I'm not telling you what I'm thinking of," annoying you to no end. It seems that Marcel's foul mood disappeared as fast and spontaneously as it came. But now, you now understand Marcel even more than before.

"Is it safe to come in?" You hear Sully's voice right outside the dining room. Of course, everyone in the house heard Marcel's shouting.

"Of course!" he exclaims. When Sam, Sully and Nadine enter the room, he continues, "I am so sorry for that outburst. As you all know, it has been a difficult twenty-four hours. But the worst is over! We are here in Atami, and Uematsu doesn't have a clue!"

The four of you exchange a look. Apparently, Marcel is unaware that you told Chloe about Atami in the hospital. When you enlighten him, his smile fades.

"I...I'm just going to put my head down until the food is ready." He takes a seat at the dining table and does so.

The rest of you set up the dining table with plates and silverware. It takes Kohaku a while before he emerges with a tray of onigiri.

"What is it?" Sam wonders when he sees the food.

"Onigiri," Kohaku informs him. "Rice balls with meat in the middle. I put cooked beef inside these."

Dinner proceeds uneventfully, with you, Sam, Sully and Nadine making small talk with Kohaku making a few comments. Marcel is uncharacteristically silent throughout the meal. Afterwards, Kohaku requests that the others clean, seeing as he and you cooked. Marcel volunteers with Sully and Nadine behind him.

Sam stays at the table, prompting Kohaku to ask, "You won't clean?"

"I don't think you need four people to clean a few dishes," he reasons.

"And the pots we used?"

"A simple meal like that? You couldn't have used more than two."

Kohaku accepts this, takes out a cigarette and rolls it between his fingers. "I wish we didn't have to leave Yokohama," he mutters, mostly to himself, "If there was any day I wanted a good fuck, it's today."

"It's not like you were the one getting shot at," Sam reminds him.

"But you have your girlfriend," he replies simply.

Blush creeps up in your cheeks. This is the first time someone has outright called you Sam's girlfriend.

You feel compelled to correct him. "I'm not actually his girlfriend, so we haven't been sleeping together."

Kohaku blinks before yelling in the direction of the kitchen, "Marcel! _Temae wa_ Cleena _ni uso o tsuita_!"

You hear scurrying footsteps before seeing Marcel appear in the entryway between the kitchen and the dining room, a bit panicked stricken.

" _N-Nani o i-itteru no_?" He clumsily strings his words together, his accent making it sound even worse.

Kohaku's only response is a hand gesture toward you and Sam.

"That! Cleena was--I mean, _ano hito wa kare to no sekkusu o motte shiyou to shite imashita._ "

" _Soshite_?"

"Wha--? _Kanojo wa kare ga sukidesu_! _Anata wa shitte iru_ Cleena, _ano hito wa kantan ni akiramenai_."

" _Kanojo mo sou wa narimasen_."

"Hey," Sam butts into the conversation, "Mind if we're privy to this conversation? You _are_ talking about us."

Kohaku looks at him for a moment before continuing to talk to Marcel in English, "That being said, I do have problems with you lying to her about it."

"Why do you care?" Sam asks, hijacking the conversation--much to Marcel's relief. "It's not your business if we're dating or not."

"Your love life isn't my concern," he clarifies, " _I_ don't care if you're dating or not. This about Marcel _lying to my wife_."

"She's _my_ sister," Marcel weakly defends.

"And that makes it better?"

Not having any sort of rebuttal, the Polish man retreats back into the kitchen.

Kohaku sighs, "I don't understand that family sometimes."

"Lying isn't a new thing between siblings," Sam informs him somewhat uncomfortably. He quickly changes the subject, "Why do you care anyway?"

"It's somewhat part of our arrangement," he explains.

"So, you're her wingman?"

You can see Kohaku bite the inside of his lip before saying, "I am not familiar with that term."

Sam chuckles as he uses the same tone the _nihonjin_ had used when they first met, "Wingman. You help her get sex."

Rolling his eyes at the anticipated response, he nods, "Yes. She lets me fuck Momoko after all."

You are somewhat disturbed by the phrasing, "Kohaku--" he shoots you a glare, causing you to correct yourself, "--sorry, Shimino. Is Momoko _consenting_ to the sex?"

Kohaku is disturbed by the accusations. "Of course she is! What kind of person do you think I am?" He looks away before adding, "Besides, Cleena would--I don't know the English word-- _kyosei suru_ if I tried that."

You have some idea of what he said--you do not doubt the hitwoman would be capable of doing such a thing.

"So, she's pretty protective of her," you observe, wanting to divert the conversation away from yours and Sam's relationship status.

"Very," Kohaku agrees. "I'm not entirely sure why. But back to _that_ subject," he looks back toward you and Sam, "It's surprising to hear, the two of you seem to spend most of your free time with each other."

"I thought I told you it's none of your business," Sam retorts.

"And I thought I told you I don't care if you are," he shoots back. "But things like these have a way of manifesting themselves in dangerous situations, making it a problem." He looks intently at the both of you. "Dating or not, sort it out, or you'll be in danger."

You understand where he is coming from. You have had so much on your plate to deal with, plus you are beginning to get serious with Sam. You realize that it was a mistake to being reciprocating his advances before the job is finished; you wonder if it is not too late to change your mind.

Then, Sully, Nadine and Marcel reenter the room.

"So, what now?" Nadine wonders.

"I don't know," Kohaku says, "We need to analyze all of our facts before we proceed further."

They sit back down at the table and you all go over what you have so far: the last piece of the scroll is here in Atami and that Uematsu should already have some presence in the city.

"Now, I believe Mr. Drake has some information regarding where this last piece might be," Marcel points out.

"Yeah, well, I need to get more information online," Sam says for the third time in the last hour or so.

"What is it?" Nadine asks.

"The Izusan shrine," he explains, "According to the book, it's where Minamoto met his wife."

"It's a notable landmark," Kohaku informs him, "It is also said that he prayed for victory there, so there is no doubt that it would be there."

"I just have one question," Sully speaks up, "Is it even _worth_ getting the katana at this point?" This gives Marcel a concern expression. "I know we have to save Chloe and Charlie, but maybe we should just focus on that."

You and Nadine look at each other before she says, "We were considering getting the katana and possibly bargaining for their lives."

You look to Marcel, "You don't care about it anymore, right?"

"No," he immediately says, "We can do that."

Kohaku nods. "It may work, if we are careful. Somehow angering Uematsu--such as Frazer- _san_ 's failure may backfire."

"But I told her where we were going," you remind everyone, "So she should be safe, right?"

"Perhaps for a different reason," he notes, twirling his cigarette between his fingers. "The reason she is still alive may be because Uematsu wishes to manipulate you. It may be the reason she was kidnapped in the first place."

"That's why _Charlie_ was kidnapped in the first place," Sam tells him.

"That's how he works," Kohaku informs him neutrally, "Holding others to be used against you. If any of you were _nihonjin_ , it would be a different story, but you're _gaijin_ \--you're no more than animals to him."

"Is he that much of a bigot?" Nadine asks.

"You have no idea," he replies, knowing something that the rest of you do not.

"Maybe we should stop it there," Marcel decides, "Kohaku, you should help Mr. Drake look more into the Izusan temple."

"No, I don't need the help," Sam says, getting up, "I just need a computer."

"And you've typed on a Japanese keyboard before?" Kohaku adds.

"Well…no, but--"

"Then you will need my help," he gets up and leads him out of the room.

"I have something to do as well," Marcel stands up. "We should reconvene in an hour or so."

"Now I wonder where he's off to," Sully mutters.

"No idea," you sigh, "He won't tell me."

"I just hope it's something useful for once," Nadine says.

You, Sully and Nadine decide to play cards while waiting on the others. You start out with a friendly game of poker, which takes a different turn when Sully suggest you use real currency to bet. At first, you have the upper hand, with Nadine close behind, but toward the very end, Sully manages to take most if not all of your earnings.

Two hours pass before Marcel returns, seemingly from a nap. "Sorry to make you wait," he apologizes, stretching, "I just had to lie down for--where's Kohaku and Drake?"

You had been so caught in the game you did not realize that Sam and Kohaku had not returned. Nadine takes it upon herself to look for them, you follow her to make sure she does not do anything brash. The two of you go to the living room and find the two men at the computer in the corner chuckling at something.

"What are you doing?" Nadine barks, "You're supposed to be looking up information."

"We are!" Sam turns around to defend himself. "We got all the information we need."

"Then what's that?" she points at the screen, which has an unrelated video playing on it.

"An advertisement," Kohaku explains coolly, closing the window.

While this is going on, you see something in the printer. You pick it up and see that it is information on the Izusan shrine. You look at the corner of the paper and see that it was printed out over an hour ago.

"Guys," you call everyone's attention over to you and hold up the papers. "Can we just go over this?"

Wordlessly you all return to the dining room and sit down.

"The shrine opens up for prayer at nine," Kohaku explains. "We need to go early if we have any chance of beating Uematsu."

"Then we should rest now so we get up early," Marcel suggests.

The rest of you agree and go upstairs to your respective bedrooms.

On your way, you catch Sam. "What were you and Kohaku doing for two hours?"

He shrugs. "Just looking at stuff on the internet, you know he's not so bad once you get to know him."

You decide not to ask what exactly they were watching. You are somewhat surprised to hear that they are starting to get along, however, nothing bad can come from it, at least from what you see.

Sully is the first to get to the top of the stairs, he turns toward Kohaku and asks, "Hey, where's the shower in this place?" The younger man simply points to the bathroom, prompting him to add, "There's just a toilet in there."

His eyes widen, and he jets to the bathroom to see for himself. You then hear him curse loudly. He then takes out his phone and shouts what you are certain are more Japanese expletives into the it.

"Maybe we should just head back downstairs for now," Sam suggests. Everyone is more than happy to follow it.

"This place doesn't have a shower?" you ask no one in particular, "Why is that?"

Marcel shrugs his shoulders. "That's very strange, I haven't heard of anything like that."

"It seems like a poor neighborhood," Nadine comments, "Maybe it's cheaper if there isn't a bath installed."

"Would sure save on water bills," Sully agrees.

After a while Kohaku comes back down with a regained composure. "There's a bathhouse not far from here, run by some of my superiors. They have arranged for a private room for us, but only for a half hour." He looks away before adding, "That means we all have to bathe at the same time."

You grimace at the thought of a co-ed bathhouse. Sure, you had been to mixed gender onsens, but that was before _Mexico_. The memories of the showers in that prison flooded back to you, when you close your eyes you can see all the men in there, with the very few women that were locked up with you. You look at some other corner of the room, your heart racing as you bat those memories away.

"I don’t have a problem with that," Marcel pips.

"Of course, _you_ don't," Nadine shoots at him.

"That being said, anyone who is…" you can almost feel Kohaku's eyes on you as you go through your mini-breakdown, "…uncomfortable…can stay behind."

"You ladies don't need to worry, I'll…" Marcel has no doubt turned to you as well, "…be respectful."

"There's no way you can get your bosses to, I dunno give us another room?" Sam asks.

"I tried, they wouldn't listen," the Japanese man informs him. "They told me to get over it."

Nadine sighs, "I haven't had a bath since before the heist, I have to go."

You do not want her to feel uncomfortable bathing among the men, so you feel inclined to accompany her. Plus, you recall Sam saying that you do not know when the next time would be when you would get a bath.

Will you go to the bathhouse or not?

A. Go.  
B. Do not go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/17r5UCj.png](https://i.imgur.com/17r5UCj.png)
> 
> Bathhouse? Naked men? I'm sure all (or most of) you female readers are on board with the idea...but our protagonist doesn't seem to be. Then again, all the men here are respectful and/or afraid of Nadine, so it's definitely safe.
> 
> But will this have repercussions? I dunno, do any of you remember that scarf we got in the middle east?  
> Edit: Sorry, forgot to remind you, please consider the protagonist's mental health.
> 
> Oh yes, and the result of telling Sam about Kohaku is beginning to result in a friendship between them. You see, while Sam doesn't trust him all the way, he does know that he won't betray the group to Uematsu, and it's just enough to sort of relax around him. What are the benefits and what are the consequences? We'll just have to find out.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	43. Agonizing Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hey, you may have noticed that an orange box appeared next to the title. Well that means I've changed the warnings from "No Archive Warnings Apply" to "Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings". My reason for this is because I have a warning applicable to **this chapter only**. That being said,
> 
>  
> 
> **TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS REFERENCES TO PAST RAPE/NON-CON.**
> 
>  
> 
> **If you are uncomfortable with such topics, please use your browser's "find" feature to look for the cutoff, which is as follows:  
> **  
>  [---]  
> Thank you for your time.  
> 
> 
> So yeah, that being said, I can only hope I described it as Teen-ly as possible. But boy, was this chapter heavy.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Go.**  
_**Agonizing Memories** _

"I'll go too," you say, against your better judgement. You ignore the quizzical looks you are receiving, particularly from Sam.

"If the women are okay with it," Kohaku finally speaks up, "Is everyone else?"

The other men only mutter in agreement; clearly your breakdown did not go unnoticed.

"We will leave in an hour," Kohaku says, all business, "Be downstairs and ready or we leave you behind."

Before everyone goes upstairs, Marcel stops all of you. "I do have the clothes you slept in the night you spent at Cleena's house, as well as a set of fresh clothes for tomorrow." He crosses his arms. "I shopped based on what I think your clothing preferences are, but I'm sick of seeing you in the same clothes." He narrows his eyebrows particularly at Sam, who has been in the same outfit since you got to Japan four days ago."

"What? I bathe every day and I have more important stuff to carry around," Sam defends himself.

"Bathing is a waste of time if you don't wear clean clothes," Marcel informs.

"He has a point Sam," Sully agrees.

"Fine, fine," he relents.

Everyone then goes upstairs and you follow Sam into the bedroom. When you go to look for something in your bag, you hear the door lock.

You fight-or-flight response involuntarily kick in. "Why'dyoulockthedoor?"

"Whoa, calm down," he says, startled by your change in attitude. "I just wanted to talk to you, and I didn't want anyone coming in."

"W-who's coming in?" you question, trying to convince him to unlock the door.

"I dunno, Marcel can barge in at any time--is this really bothering you?"

"Yes!" you practically shout, "Open the door!"

"Fine, here!" He swings the door wide open. "It's open, okay?"

Just the knowledge that you can freely leave is enough to calm you down.

Sam sits next to you as you catch your breath. "Holy shit, what happened to you? An hour ago you were just fine."

"I-I'm fine," you gasp. "It's...an asthma attack."

He is unconvinced. "An asthma attack."

"Yes."

"You have asthma."

"Yes."

"So why weren't you having an asthma attack when you were running from the hospital earlier?"

"It's a delayed reaction."

"Okay," he nods, "And this is a delayed reaction from all the times I smoked next to you."

"Why don't you just get to the point?" you snap.

"You're full of shit right now," he tells you. "You're having a panic attack, and you're not letting me help you."

"You wanna help me?" you snarl, "Go back in time and stop me from ending up in that hellhole in the first place!"

He is taken aback by your attitude. "Whoa, hey, I was just trying to--"

"To what? ' _Understand_ '?" you question, unable to hold back your unwarranted verbal abuse. "You can _never_ understand what I went through!"

"Okay, you're right," he turns to leave.

"And…what?" your temper begins to level out as you realize that he has cut the conversation--or more like argument--short.

He says nothing as he disappears downstairs, allowing you to reflect on what you have said. You realize how cruel you were, Sam wanted to help you and all you did was yell at him. Part of you wants to follow him downstairs, throw your arms around him and cry--like you had done at Cleena's house, but you cannot. You need to get a grip on yourself, no one can help you, you have to do this on your own.

The hour passes and everyone is ready to leave. You do not talk to anyone, you spend all of the time concentrating on not breaking down. You arrive at the bathhouse before you know it. You follow Kohaku mindlessly, not paying attention to anyone else. When you arrive in the changing room, you find yourself being pushed toward a corner.

"You men stay in your corner and we'll stay on ours," Nadine practically orders--she is the one who pushed you.

"You don't trust--" you do not look at Marcel, but you can guess that Nadine had given him some look to shut him up, "--our side, got it."

You see from the corner of your eye that she is beginning to undress, so you hesitantly do so yourself. However, the act, along with the sound of men's voices in your ears is enough to remind you of the prison. You can no longer differentiate the individual or the language, it is all starting to sound like Mexico.

" _¡Míralos!_ " " _¡Tira para nosotros chicas!_ " " _¡Te veremos en las duchas!_ "

You close your eyes, trying to shut the voices out--but that just makes it worse!

"Come on." You feel yourself get pulled along by your wrist. Nadine pulls you into the shower, sliding the door shut behind you.

Silence.

You let a sigh of relief wash over you as your memories are pushed away.

It feels like you have stepped into a sauna, with the heat and humidity in the air. The room has seven shower nozzles and a large tub for multiple people to soak in.

"Come, if we hurry, we may not even need to see the men's hairy asses," she says with a smirk.

You give a slight chuckle as you follow her to the nozzles. When the warm water hits you, all of you memories wash away.

You are fine.

You have nothing to worry about.

You wash yourself like normal, even considering going into the tub when you are finished.

Then, the men enter.

Your completely freeze up as even more memories flood into your brain. The voices just become incoherent--your body braces itself for what it expects: hands grabbing you, pulling your limbs in every direction, foreign objects being shoved into every orifice on your body and the sound of your own muffled screams.

You are shocked out of your state when you actually hear your scream. You are no longer in the shower--you cannot tell where you are--you feel dizzy, your stomach cannot take it.

You vomit on the floor as your senses catch up to reality. You feel a hand gently rubbing your back. Turning, you can make out Nadine's silhouette kneeling over you.

"You all right?" she asks.

You cough in response and sit on the floor. You are in the changing room--just you and her, still naked.

"Wh-what happened?" you wonder, thoroughly confused.

"I'm no expert, but it seems you've had a PTSD-flashback," she explains. "I didn't think you'd be triggered that easily."

You frown. "Do you even know what you're talking about?"

"Sam told me," she informs you.

Sam. Even after you snapped at him, he found a way to try and help you.

"I would think that even in mixed population, they'd have the men and women bathe at different times," she thinks out loud.

"They didn't do a good job at keeping us apart," you tell her bitterly.

"Regardless," she continues, "You should have seen a therapist about this if you're having a reaction this bad."

"I'm fine--"

She does not even give you a chance to finish, "'Fine' isn't going into fetal position and screaming when you're sharing a shower with other men. If you don't get help, this will haunt you for the rest of your life."

"I don't need help!" you almost shout at her, "I don't need some stuck-up pseudo-doctor _pretending_ to understand what I went through!"

You expect her to lash back at you, but instead, she gives you a sympathetic look. "You're not the only woman who's gone through something like that. You don't have to be ashamed of what happened to you."

That is a word you have never used in this context. "Wh-why would I be ashamed?"

"Because you think it's your fault," she explains, "That you weren't strong enough--"

"Strong enough?" you repeat incredulously, "Who the hell is strong enough to prevent several men pulling at you--trying to fuck you every single way just because they can?!"

She pauses before continuing, "Strong enough not to let it affect you like this."

Your eyes widen as you realize that is exactly what you're feeling. Your curl up into a ball as tears silently begin pouring out your eyes.

"Mari--she went through the same thing," you say, "But she always acted like…like it didn't even happen…how could she do that?"

"Probably in denial," Nadine shrugs. She moves to get a towel, "Come, we'll head back before the men."

You dry yourself off as well and the two of you put your clothes back on. Nadine sticks her head in the shower to find out where Kohaku keeps the keys to the house. After she gets them, the two of you start heading back.

[---]

When you return, Nadine insists you change into your night clothes and try to get some sleep. Upon doing do, you find you are unable to. When you close your eyes, memories of the prison pop back into your head--fading memories, but they are enough to bother you. You spend the rest of the time staring up at the ceiling, trying to get your mind around something else.

Finally, the door opens, it is Sam, dressed for bed.

"Hey," he greets you, "You okay?"

After what Nadine had told you, you realize that pretending you are okay is not going to do you any good.

"No," you admit, whimpering slightly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he mutters. "Listen, I can sleep on the floor if it's too much for you."

You sit up. "We were just fine for two nights!"

"Yeah, but that was before you had a panic attack in the shower," he points out. "It's fine, really."

No it is not. You are the one with the problem, Sam should not have to suffer for it. Still, you wonder if he is offering because he feels uncomfortable with the situation, and would prefer not to get involved. Despite all this, you find yourself wanting to share a bed between him; perhaps, you wish for something to happen between you tonight. But, if something were to happen, how would it affect you afterwards? Would you be okay in helping get the final scroll at the shrine tomorrow?

What should your sleeping arrangements be?

A. You on the floor.  
B. Sam on the floor.  
C. Both of you on the bed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/fGhEwhb.png](https://i.imgur.com/fGhEwhb.png)  
>  **TIE BREAKER AUTHOR VOTE: C** (You know, I _finished_ choice A, but then it lost the coin flip...)
> 
> So, I warned you guys about the protagonist's mental health at the end of Chapter 38, and I forgot to remind you when I put up the last chapter, so I added a reminder a few hours after the poll when there was like two votes at point. Anyway, my point is, it's very important. She was already rattled from doing the heist and the hospital back-to-back and bringing back her PTSD made it worst. Keeping a cool head was the key to a perfect ending.
> 
> What is a perfect ending, you ask? Everybody lives and you get the guy.
> 
> Full disclosure, that ship has sailed. Even if you choose correctly here and help her maintain what's left of her mental health, there's no way we can save _everyone_. But at least you can save most of them.
> 
> Well, here's hoping I didn't lose all of you.
> 
> By the way, if one of these choices lead to sexy times, I'm going to let you know right now, _I'm going to cut away before the action_. So please don't pick it just because you want to see a sex scene.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	44. "I Was Hoping You Could Help Me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, there's a little story to how this choice got chosen. Choice A was in the lead so I started on it right away and it ended up being so short that I decided to put the chapter up right when the poll closed. That's when C came from behind and tied it up. So before I went to the coin flip, I went to my boyfriend to see if he could break the tie...and he choice B which didn't help at all. So I went to the coin flip, hoped for heads and ended up with tails...I swear, that virtual coin's rigged.
> 
> Writing this chapter was pretty difficult too, I scrapped half the dialogue at one point because well...maybe you'll get a better idea after reading the chapter.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice C: Both of you on the bed.**  
_**"I Was Hoping You Could Help Me"** _

"Sam, I'm really okay," you try to convince him. "You don't have to sleep on the floor."

"You say you're okay now," he says, "But how do I know you're not going have one of those 'asthma attacks' and kick me off the bed?"

"I…" you cannot think of anything to say to dispute this. After deciding to go to the bathhouse, you have begun acting almost erratically, going from anxious, to angry, from calm to panicked; how do _you_ know that you would not kick Sam off the bed? You decide to tell him the real reason you want to share the bed with him, "I _want_ to share the bed with you. I want--"

"Yeah, I know what you want," he tells you, "I'm not so sure it's a good idea anymore."

Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach. "J-just because--?"

"That, you had a problem just looking at me in my _underwear_ ," he reminds you. "No offense, but, after what happened tonight, what is sex going to be like with you?"

You take a deep breath, try to calm yourself down and rationally discuss this--the last thing you need to get emotional over this. "It's…it's going to…I mean--about that--"

"Okay," he cuts you off, "We have a lot to do tomorrow and the last thing you need to another freak-out. You stay in the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

You are reminded of the shrine, and the fact that it will most likely be swarming with Uematsu's men. With the game he is playing, you would not be surprised if he allows you to steal the final piece and finally kills you all, along with Chloe and Charlie. Your heart begins to race at the thought of your death--your life even begins flashing before your eyes. As this happens, you realize that there is a lot in your life you begin to regret--not what you had done, but what you did not.

You take one more deep breath, determined to say this as calmly and confidently as possible, "I...I know I could die tomorrow...I almost died today, after all. When I look back on my life...I'm not satisfied." You pause to carefully consider your words. "I played it safe my entire life--no, most. The one risk I took, to leave my job as a tour guide, to become an art thief--a criminal--that was the best decision I ever made." You find yourself beginning to smile. "I was happy stealing priceless artworks. I never thought it would end…until, you know.

"I stayed with a man I knew wasn't good for me because at least I knew him, he felt like my safe choice. I played it safe for so long, and you know what? I'm not better for it. I'm worse off, actually. My so-called 'safe' lifestyle led me here, where I could die tomorrow and my last experience was… _Mexico_. And, I was hoping you could help me."

Sam blinks. "Come again?"

You look at him, you realize it's now or never, you have been riskless for long enough. You gather as much confidence as you can and get up from the bed.

"I want to forget what happened in those showers." You walk right up to him; it occurs to you the only time you were ever this close to him was when he held you when you were crying. "Help me forget Sam." You wrap your arms around his neck. "Please." You lean forward and press your lips against his.

The timing is terrible, you this know all too well. At best, you expect him not to return the kiss and say "no"; at worst, you expect him to push you away. The last thing you expect was for him to reciprocate it, which is what he does.

Your breath hitches when Sam begins kissing back, and he takes advantage by pushing you back until the two of you are at the foot of the bed.

"You know," he says when the two of you part for air, "You have a _weird_ sense of timing."

"Sorry," you apologize sheepishly, "It just feels like I'm playing tug-of-war with myself sometimes."

To say that you enjoyed the rest of the night would be an understatement. When holding it up against other nights you spent with other people, it would definitely be in the top five.

The next morning, you and Sam decide to ditch the shrine and go off to relax in one of Atami's many onsen bathhouses. Your cares melt away in the water as you lean up against Sam's chest.

"This was such a good idea," you say. "No Chloe, no Uematsu, just you and me, right?"

"You said it, babygirl."

You freeze.

That was not Sam's voice.

You turn to see the smug, blonde head of your ex-boyfriend, Ken Voclain, smiling that sickeningly sweet smile at you.

You instantly back away from him. "Wh-what are you doing here? Where's Sam?"

"Right here babygirl," he laughs, as if this is just a game to him.

"Liar! You're not Sam!"

"Aren't I though?" he asks, "A charming, Caucasian felon with several tattoos and a taste for cigarettes?"

"He's a treasure hunting!" you insist, "He knows a hell of a lot more about history than you."

Ken scoffs, "Like that _really_ matters to you. Face it, babygirl, you never moved on, you're still playing it safe. Ken Voclain, Sam Drake, different wrapper, same candy." He begins moving closer to you. "Speaking of _candy_ …"

He grabs the back of your head, and tries to force it down, but you resist. You manage to smack his hands away and fight back, but he grabs one of your arms, pins it behind you and forces you to kneel.

"What'd you think that was going to do?" he asks. "You're not a fighter, you never were. What are you doing here anyway?"

You look up to see Uematsu, brandishing Minamoto's katana. "You're here to make my life easier," he says, "You collected the scrolls for me, figured out where the katana is, and even found it for me."

You look away to see another Uematsu with the katana, this time with Marcel kneeling next to him as his prisoner. He shoved the sword through his back instantly killing the man.

"No!" You turn to another direction and see the yakuza figurehead again, this time with Chloe as his prisoner. "Please…!"

With a stab of his sword, Chloe falls down dead as well. No matter where you looked, you saw Uematsu, executing your comrades one by one.

Sully. Nadine. Charlie. Kohaku. Marikit.

Finally, there was Sam--the real Sam. You break free and run over to him as he too is killed by Uematsu. When you get to him, his body is lifeless and cold with his eyes wide open, staring at nothing.

"As you can see, you are weak," Uematsu explains, "And foolish. There was no way you could have won against me."

He thrusts the katana toward you, and you flinch, expecting to feel a searing pain through your chest, but it never comes. You bring your hands up to where the wound should be but feel nothing there, but you are lying down--wait, when did that happen?

"What's wrong?" you hear Sam's groggy voice.

"Sam?!" You look behind you to see Sam, alive. "How? Uematsu stabbed--" That is when you realize that you are still in bed, mere hours after you and Sam had slept together. "Dream," you say, somewhat relieved, "It was just a dream."

"You wanna talk about it or something?" he mutters.

You do not feel like dumping your insecurities or any more of your problems on the poor man. Then again, it might be a good idea to reassure him that this nightmare was not brought on by your latest panic attack. On the other hand, this dream may have been because you two spent the night together. But it is not a good idea to keep these things bottled up, as you learned all too well today.

You are at a loss; what should you do?

A. Tell him about the dream.  
B. Go back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/Xb0l59n.png](https://i.imgur.com/Xb0l59n.png)
> 
> Okay, the most difficult part was writing the dialogue because at one point the protagonist lost it, got emotional and it didn't go anywhere and it just seemed like option B in disguise. I finally wrote where the protagonist finally gets with Sam and I'm still not satisfied.
> 
> As for that dream sequence, was it as surreal as I hoped it would be? I knew I wanted to write a dream sequence for this option, but I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, so I wasn't exactly rooting for this choice.
> 
> And we're finally introduced to Ken...sort of. I pictured him as a scummier version of Sam and not really the type of person you would wanna find yourself working with. For example, if he were in Sam's situation in Lost Legacy, he would willingly be working with Asav and would trick Chloe into finding the tusk for him just to save his own ass. I intended on using him if we were to go save Nate in Peru as an antagonist working for the big bad, but we ended up in Japan instead. Oh well, this will be the only time we "meet" him.
> 
> As for where we are in the story, well, at least she's not having panic attacks, is she?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	45. Of Dreams and Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uggggh...I'm sorry. They changed my scheduled from Wednesday-Thursday to Tuesday-Wednesday so I didn't have the time or energy to put in double-time on this and get it out on time. That being said, update schedule's going back to Mondays and Thursdays.
> 
> And besides all that, the Izusan shrine is a real location in Atami, so I have do to research to at least get some realism. Basically, the only thing that matched the shrine in real life (as far as I know) is the main shrine, everything else I made up. I mean, if you're mad about that, let me tell you something about Lost Legacy: we know where modern-day Halebidu and Belur are, and guess what: they aren't lost cities.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Tell him about the dream.**  
_**Of Dreams and Love** _

With a heavy sigh, you tell him all about the dream you had; he seems to take everything in stride.

"So we finally sleep together and the next thing you do is dream of your ex-boyfriend?" he asks in the least serious tone he can muster. "That's concerning."

"I have a dream about you dying and all you care about is my ex?" you retort.

"You're not the first person to dream about me dying," he informs you, "I'm sure Nadine's dreamt about it--I don't think any of them were nightmares though."

"I'm serious!" You scold him.

"What do you want me to do about it then?" he groans. "Find the secret to immortality and not die? Ever?"

"You can actually take me seriously!"

"It was a dream! You dreamt about everyone dying because you've been thinking about it all day!" he explains harshly.

With the way he is talking to you, it is apparent that he is angry. "Are you upset about Ken?"

"No, I'm upset because you started yelling at me about a dream _you_ had!" he tells you.

"I'm sorry," you apologize, "It's just--"

"You're worried about tomorrow, yeah, I know," he says in a more soothing voice.

As much as you want to go back to sleep and forget about this conversation, you ask, "How do you feel about being compared to Ken?"

Sam sighs. "Let me tell you something that Victor would probably say: everyone goes after the same type of person. Like Nathan: every single girlfriend he's ever had has been a strong woman with an interest in history."

"What about you?" you wonder.

He does not answer at first. "I…don't know what my type is."

You cannot figure out what he means by that, so you don't know how to feel. "Okay, well, good night."

He does not say anything to you at first, but instead, shifts so that he is on his back. "Come here."

You lift your head up to look at him. "Huh?"

"I said come here." He pulls you toward him and helps you adjust yourself so that your head is on his chest. "Good night."

You mutter you own good night as Sam's heartbeat fills your ears. The steady rhythm helps you drift off to sleep. As you do, you think about how you feel about him; you like him enough to sleep with him, that's more than you can say for most men who had shown interest in you. Still, you wonder if the two of you can be in a relationship with each other. You recall the words Sully had said days ago when you first met:

"Sam isn't a very…accessible person. I don't remember him ever having a stable relationship in his life--romance-wise anyway."

Sure, you like Sam, but you have to admit that he is very similar to Ken. If the two if you were to get together, would it be just like it was with Ken? You finally fall asleep with your questions unanswered.

You are woken up by Kohaku's voice, " _Ohayougozaimasu_."

As you wake up, it takes your mind a good minute to connect the dots and realized that Kohaku just waltzed into you room with you and Sam completely naked. With a yelp, you sit up and yank the sheet over your chest, waking your partner up.

"Jesus, you don't have to be so loud early in the morning," he groans annoyed. He looks out the window to see that dawn is just barely breaking. "Why are we up this early anyway?"

Kohaku has his eyes transfixed on something on the ceiling, not making any effort to look at you at all. "I thought I would be considerate and wake you up from what I'm sure was…a comfortable sleep."

"Did it have to be this early?" Sam asks.

The Japanese man crosses his arms. "Would you have preferred to have been woken up by Ross- _kun_ , or _Marcel_?"

"No!" is yours and Sam's immediate response.

He glances at you for a moment to ensure that you are covered up before turning to you completely. "I'm waking everyone up in fifteen minutes, prepare yourselves."

When he leaves the room, you and Sam simply look at each other without saying anything.

Finally, he shrugs. "Back to work I guess."

"Yeah," you mutter, wishing that you can actually ditch the shrine and go to an onsen with him.

A little under an hour later, you, Sully and Nadine are ready with your new clothes on. The style of the new clothes is definitely Japanese, something that doesn't quite suit you or your companions. Everyone would be content in some generic clothing, such as graphic t-shirts and the like, but Marcel seemed to have gone above and beyond and gotten the expensive, in-style clothing. No one seems to be a fan, in fact, you would have to say that Japanese fashion is a bit weird, if Sully's kimono-like shirt is anything to go by. Then again, the short, flowy dress that you find yourself in looks normal enough, there is only one problem--Nadine is wearing something similar and it does not suit her in the slightest. Her figure isn't the problem, you would argue that she wears it better than you--but her obvious muscles as well as her hair messily tied into a ponytail made it clear that this was not an outfit she picked out.

"I hate this," she says, her arms crossed.

"I can tell," you reply, looking up the stairs to see what Sam's outfit looks like.

However, he comes down in his wife beater, holding what appears to be a set of blue rags. "Uh, am I the only one who got something from the goodwill bin?" The three of you can only stare at in disbelief at what is apparently the shirt he is supposed to wear to the shrine.

"Well it looks like Marcel likes to shop in the dark," Sully quips.

"Well we know who his favorite is," Nadine shoots a look at you. You realize that this is partly a complement, but due to her tone, you decide not to take it as one.

"If it makes you feel better, it's not very practical," you inform her, "If we have to get into some tight spaces, it's bound to get stuck somewhere."

When Kohaku emerges from his room, clad in a light jacket, he takes one look at all of you and shouts back toward Marcel, " _Bakayarou_!" He returns into the room and you can only assume he is reading his brother-in-law the riot act in Japanese. He emerges with a set of clothes in his hand. "Here Ross-kun, I have an extra set of clothes for you, they might be a little tight but they are much better than _that_."

As Nadine shoves Sam out of the way you cannot help but notice that Kohaku's pants seems to be made out of a different material from when he first came out. In his other hand, he is holding a black jacket that he offers to Sam.

"This must belong to one of my superiors," he explains, "He is fairly large so it should fit you." He hands the jacket to him. "Zip it up all the way to hide the tattoos."

As Sam puts the jacket on, Marcel emerges from his room, looking timid. "I thought that we would blend in more if we wore Japanese fashion."

Kohaku snatches the shirt from Sam and holds it out for Marcel to see. "Do you really think tourists would wear _boro_ clothing?"

"If they knew the history--"

"This is not about history, this is about blending in!" Kohaku turns to you and Sully. "There's nothing we can do about yours, we'll have to make due."

Sully gives a big sigh. "Alright, but don't be insulted if I throw this out later."

When Nadine finishes changing, all of you leave the house to make the journey to the Izusan shrine. You follow Kohaku on a bus or two before arriving at the shrine. When you get there, the place is just barely opening up, with a mixture of tourists and locals coming to pay their respects.

"No sign of Uematsu," Sam points out.

"Be on your guard, he could already be here," Nadine informs him.

As you approach the main shrine you wonder out loud if what you're looking for is somewhere nearby.

"Probably not," Sam informs you, "This was built sometime in the last century."

"How can you tell?" Marcel asks.

"For one thing, it's made of material that wasn't used during the Kamakura shogunate," he explains.

"So we really need to look for…whatever the hell it is we're looking for," Sully points out.

"We need to split up," Kohaku says. "Be on the lookout for anything about Minamoto or for Uematsu's men."

He splits you up accordingly: him and Sam, you and Sully, and Nadine and Marcel. Nadine is not too thrilled about the matchups, but no one can argue based on everyone's knowledge of Minamoto and Kamakura as well as their fluency in Japanese. You also have four communicators, which everyone decides that you, Sam, Sully and Nadine should have, in case you get separated.

"Why aren't you taking one?" Nadine asks Kohaku.

"I'll be with Drake at all times if that's what you're worried about," he tells her.

When everyone goes their separate ways, you and Sully stay at the main shrine for a moment.

"So," Sully begins, "What do you wanna do first?"

You take a good look at your surroundings. "I have no idea."

"Well, the way I see it, Minamoto met his wife here," he says, "It looks to me like we can do the couple thing and as about that." He holds out his arm, which you take.

"You just want an excuse to escort a pretty woman around, don't you?" You playfully accuse him.

"Can you blame me?" He chuckles. "I'd be worried about Sam getting jealous, but judging by the sounds coming from your room last night, I'd say I'm pretty safe, wouldn't you?"

You face flushes. "I uh…"

"Hey, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a little fun now and then, as long as it doesn't distract you." When, you nod but do not say anything he raises an eyebrow. "Sweetheart?"

"I'm focused, I'm focused," you assure him.

But the truth is, you cannot take your mind off Sam. Sure, the two of you have successfully slept together, and you thought that would be the end of it, but you find yourself wishing you were someplace else with him at almost every moment. You have to remind yourself to stay focused about every fifteen minutes.

The two of approach someone who appears to work at the shrine and ask him about Minamoto and his wife, knowing that this is where they met. He gives you directions to an older shrine dedicated to Minamoto Yoritomo and his wife, Houjou Masako deeper in the shrine's forest. Before the two of you go, the work seems keen on informing you of something, which Sully looks a bit hesitant to translate for you.

"He says that if you take a branch of leaves from the tree here, your love will come true," he explains.

You look up at the tree and cannot help but think of Sam. Sure, this is only a local legend, but you find yourself wanting to take one. But judging by Sully's hesitance to tell you about this, you know that if you do take one, it will tell him that you are, in fact, distracted.

Should you take one anyway?

Take one.  
Leave it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/Jf2WPtY.png](https://i.imgur.com/Jf2WPtY.png)
> 
> Well, whether the myth is real or not, it's going to affect how the protagonist thinks. I mean, there will be some truth to the myth, and the whole thing is that if you take the leaves and always keep it with you, your love will come truth. No, I didn't just make it up, I [looked it up](https://shizuoka-guide.com/detail/page/detail/4774).
> 
> So basically, your trading her peace of mind for more luck in pursuing Sam. Just remember: how many people you can save is dependent on the protagonist's mindset, so if she's more concerned with protecting a branch of leaves...well...I mean, you can't save everyone anymore anyway...([Spoilerific hint for anyone who's interested](https://i.imgur.com/UaatHEb.png))
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Edit 11/2/2018: I just fixed a glaring mistake that no one noticed...makes me wonder if anyone's actually paying attention...


	46. A Tale of Two Shrines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I would've been real pissed if it came back down to another tie-breaking coin flip, especially since I started this chapter before the poll was closed. And, as Murphy's Law dictates, if I start doing that, then the choice that was losing before will win the coin flip.
> 
> And another note: [**I started streaming on Twitch again** (Twitch Username: Mars1040)](https://www.twitch.tv/mars1040). I've mostly been doing Uncharted 4 Multiplayer, but I will switch it up sometimes (like tonight I'm going to play Friday the 13th) and there's no set schedule. And if you can't make streams, or if you're just unwilling to watch someone play for hours on end, [I'll be putting together stream highlights and uploading them on YouTube to watch](https://youtu.be/JqCOrtgNj3o).
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Take one.**  
_**A Tale of Two Shrines** _

You reach up and pluck a branch of leaves from the tree, hoping that this will mean good things are in store as far as you and Sam. The shrine worker seems pleased as he returns to his duties. Sully crosses his arms and raises one of his eyebrows.

"Focused," he repeats.

"We're posing as a couple, right?" you say, "It makes sense to take one, to keep up our cover."

"Sure." He does not believe you.

"I should probably remind you, we can hear everything you're saying," you hear Nadine's voice.

"Yeah…" Sam's voice trails off.

You stuff the leaves into your pocket as you choose to ignore the two. "Let's go look for that shrine."

You and Sully travel through the forest, occasionally being pointed in the direction of the shrine by some locals. Eventually, you climb up a long set of steps to a small wooden shrine. The shrine itself looks like it was well kept, despite being very old. You walk up to the shrine and see some writing in Japanese. Sully cannot make out what it says, since it is written in Hiragana.

In your ear, you hear one side of a conversation between Sam and Kohaku about something they found.

"Sam, are you and Shimino busy?" Sully asks.

"Not really," Sam replies, "Why? You found something?"

He tells him about the shrine you found, and how you need Kohaku to read the sign. After a few minutes, both of them arrive.

"It's a memorial of the union between Minamoto no Yoritomo and Houjou Masako," Kohaku explains.

"So this has to be it," you say, "It's old enough, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Sam answers uneasily, "But we were just at another shrine, looks exactly like this one, but that was dedicated to the battles that Minamoto won."

"That sounds like a better place to hide the katana," Sully points out.

"But we aren't looking for the katana," you remind them, "We're looking for a scroll that leads to the katana. Besides, don't you think that your shrine is a little too obvious?"

"I agree," Kohaku puts in, "Besides, this one is written hiragana, just like the scroll."

"Okay, you both have fair points," Sam gives you, "But does Minamoto seem like the type of person to mix…you know, business and pleasure?"

"Well sex and violence go hand-in-hand, doesn't they?" You tell him with a wink.

At first Sam is surprised, unsure of what to say before he ends up chuckling, "Yeah, I guess you got a point there." This also earns a chuckle from Sully and even Kohaku.

Over the communicator, Nadine is not amused. "If you're done wasting time, you should investigate the shrine, which you should've done with the first one."

"I did!" Sam retorts indignantly. "There was a hidden lever in the other one." He goes to examine the shrine. "If the shrines are identical then..." He opens up a hidden panel, revealing a lever in the down position.

"What does it do?" you wonder.

"Only one way to find out," he says, as he carefully pulls the lever to the upright position.

As he does this, a trap door opens, releasing a cloud of dust into the air. When the dust subsides, you see a hidden passage that leads underground. All of you are amazed, but not as much as Kohaku.

" _Sugoine_ …" he mutters in awe.

"Just like the movies, right?" Sam grins at him.

"Only problem is," Sully begins, "There's probably an identical one at the other shrine."

"Yeah," Sam agrees. "Maybe we should split up--"

"Impossible," Kohaku interrupts him, "If you come across something inside one of the shrines in hiragana, you'd be stuck."

"But the first shrine was written in--what was it called, katakana?" Sam turns to Sully. "You can read that, right Victor?"

"Yeah, but someone should keep watch outside," Sully reminds him. "I can read Japanese, but the two of you know more about this stuff than I do."

"If anything Marcel and I can stand guard at the shrines," Nadine offers.

"Nadine, you might want to think about what you just said," you tell her.

"Yeah, I wouldn't trust Marcel to watch my back," Sam says.

"Okay good point," she gives him. "But you might not have enough time to look at one at a time. I've already spotted some suspicious-looking characters already."

For the most part, you have stayed quiet about this subject, mostly because you are conflicted. While it would be wiser to look at both shrines at the same time, Marcel guarding one of the shrines will most likely end in disaster.

Do you stick together or split up?

A. Stick Together  
B. Split Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/j3ttl6x.png](https://i.imgur.com/j3ttl6x.png)
> 
> Nothing to say here, use your own judgement.
> 
> Edit: Sorry, forgot to mention, sticking together means they're going to investigate this shrine first. Splitting up is another way of saying "explore the battle shrine".
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	47. Into the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I wanted this one to be longer, and it almost was, but where I ended it HAD to be a choice and so it is.
> 
> Also, I just spotted and corrected a _serious_ error I made back in chapter 45, where the gang splits up. Originally, it was said that the teams were Kohaku and Nadine, Protagonist and Sully, and Sam and Marcel. After writing that, I switched Kohaku and Marcel but forgot to update that line to reflect that. It was a glaring error that no one picked up and...quite frankly, I'm not sure if anyone's really reading anymore...I've been doing this story for almost a year now, and the people voting and occasionally commenting have kept me going but...this is honestly really discouraging.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter.

Out and About  
**Choice A: Stick Together**  
_**Into the Dark** _

"It's just safer if we stick together," you decide, "Wasting time is better than getting killed down there."

"If we waste time, we might as well be dead," Kohaku tells you, but he does not stop, "But in this case, it may be better to stick together."

"So it's the three of you are going down?" Sully asks.

"Yeah," Sam answers almost immediately, "We need you to watch our backs up here Victor."

You take this as a sign that despite their growing friendship, Sam does not completely trust Kohaku yet.

Kohaku, however, does not seem to notice. "We need to move quickly," he says, gesturing for you to descend into the passage first.

You look to Sam and Sully, who are encouraging you to go in. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, you climb down the steep and narrow steps into the passage. The first thing you notice is the smell: it absolutely stinks in there--mostly of decay and centuries-old mold. You find it hard to see anything, with the only source of light being the sunlight being obscured by your companion's shadows. From what little you can make out, the passage walls are floors are made from wood--you are surprised that none of it decayed from being underground for a handful of centuries.

When Kohaku enters, he immediately curses and covers his mouth and nose. "It stinks!"

Sam climbs down after him, saying, "What were you expecting a lost tomb to smell like? A bunch of roses?"

When Sully closes the trap door, the passage becomes pitch black and none of you are able to see. The yakuza member curses as he realizes that he does not have a flashlight.

"So we improvise," Sam tells him as he ignites his lighter, bringing a dim glow into the room. He spots a torch on the wall and lights it up. "Let there be light."

The torch lights the room up a bit more; there is another one nearby so Sam ignites that one too before putting his lighter away. There is a hallway leading further into the underground passage, it is too dark to see the end of it, so Sam and Kohaku take both torches and proceed down the hallway. The three of you walk for a while until, finally you arrive at another room.

The men light the torches in the room and find that it is mostly empty except for a scroll with Japanese writing and two doors with two more scrolls.

"I guess this means we're going the right way," Sam says. "What's it say?"

"It says, 'the sword will only reveal itself to a worthy successor'," Kohaku translates, "And the doors say 'power' and 'family'."

"So the correct door leads to the scroll," Sam observes, "It has to be power."

Kohaku stops him from going, "You westerners may have different values, but family is important in our society."

The older man scoffs, "You don't know much about history, do you? Men like Minamoto would kill their own brother for power."

He is visibly appalled. "How dare you suggest such a thing! There is nothing more important than family!"

Sam puts his hands up. "I'm not saying I don't agree with you, but we need to be a 'worthy successor' to Minamoto."

"You can't have a successor without a family--!"

"You'd be surprised--"

" _Urusai_!" With one word, Kohaku shuts him up and turns to you.

As usual, you are the tie breaker. Both men have good points, but…

Both men.

There are _three_ of you and _two_ doors.

"Why don't you open both of them?" you ask.

Kohaku's jaw drops as he realizes that this is an option, while Sam seems reluctant to go through with it.

"You haven't robbed as many tombs as I have," he begins, "With this sort of thing, it's not clear which one’s the correct door right away."

"But we can open it just in case," you point out. "And if we have to split up--"

"No, no," he rejects the idea, "You said 'stick together' before and we're _staying_ together. So what are we doing?"

A. Power.  
B. Family.  
C. Insist that you open both doors.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/SZMcTYn.png](https://i.imgur.com/SZMcTYn.png)
> 
> Okay, so you can do one of two things, play favorites and side with the character you like more (it will reflect later on) or you can be logical and hopefully avoid getting said character wounded.
> 
> Okay, so no one will die in here, but there is the possibility of wounding someone which will probably result in their death or sitting out what's left of the story.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	48. Pitfalls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well after that crisis of confidence, there were two readers in particular who wrote out whole paragraphs telling me how much they enjoy my story. Now, usually, I would reply to these comments myself, but I cannot put into words how much I appreciate what you guys said, so here's an early update!
> 
> Thanks so much for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Family**  
_**Pitfalls** _

"I think Kohaku's right," you decide.

Sam blinks at you before saying, "Alright, let's try out that door."

You expected him to put up more of a fight, but with his blessing, you confidently march past Kohaku up to the "family" door with both men behind you. You open the door and walk right through.

The next thing you know, you feel a sharp pain in your shoulder and your feet are dangling in the air.

"Get her other arm!" you hear Sam cry as you feel him try and tug your arm up.

When you feel Kohaku's hands around your other shoulder, you offer your arm to him and allow him to grab it. Both men hoist you safely back up onto the floor. Your mind is still processing what just happened; Kohaku is just as confused as you are while Sam does not seem surprised in the slightest.

He is looking through the door, using his torch as a light. "Doesn't look like it was deep enough to kill you, but there was no way we were getting you back up."

" _Korehanandesuka_? Why is this here? Do you know?" Kohaku asks Sam.

"This is the wrong answer," he tells him plainly.

The _nihonjin_ finds this hard to believe. "No, no this can't be--in our culture--"

"Minamoto killed his cousin and brothers," Sam explains, "So that he could remain in power." He turns to you. "It's all the in the book."

Your jaw drops as you realize he put you in danger just to prove a point. "And you just let me open the door?"

"I saw the pit before you did," he counters. "It's not my fault you didn't listen to the only other person who actually knows about the Kamakura shogunate."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because _he_ didn't let me! Now can we please stop arguing and keep going?!"

As Sam goes to the other door, you hear Sully's voice crackle in your ear, "I only heard half of that…but he has a point."

You look over to see Kohaku looking down at the pit, still in disbelief. When he sees you staring at him, he says to you, "Perhaps Uematsu is descended from Minamoto Yoritomo after all…"

He helps you up with the same arm that Sam grabbed, but you feel an intense pain in your shoulder that prevents you from lifting yourself up.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, yeah," you assure him, offer your other arm for him to pull you up.

When you are back on your feet and Kohaku has turned his back to you, you look under your jacket and find that your shoulder is red and beginning to swell. Your shoulder must have dislocated when Sam grabbed you as you fell. The pain is not too distracting, so perhaps you can get through this ordeal without mentioning it.

However, Sam spots you looking at the wound. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," you try to assure him. You fail when you wince as you put your jacket back, aggravating the injury.

With you unable to convince him, he gestures for you to take off the jacket so that he can look at your shoulder. When you do, he can see that it is dislocated.

"It's not that bad," he says, passing the torch off to Kohaku, who is merely observing. "I can pop it back in for you."

" _Aho ka_? She needs to see a doctor!" Kohaku objects.

"We can't see a doctor right now, can we?" Sam points out. He turns back to you. "Okay, I won't sugarcoat this--it's going to be _incredibly_ painful."

"On…a scale of one to ten?" you ask apprehensively.

"Eleven," he tells you with certainty.

You think to a time when you have such an intense pain, but none come to mind.

Finally, you take a deep breath and brace yourself. "Just do it."

As you feel the numb pain of him adjusting your shoulder, you begin to think that it won't be so bad.

And then he pops it back into place.

You let out an ear-piercing scream as the intense pain temporarily blinds you. You hear voices but you cannot make out who they belong to or what they are saying. You collapse to the floor, crying until the sharp pain dulls into the numb pain you had felt before, although this time, it did not hurt to move your shoulder as much.

Sam crouches down beside you and rotates your shoulder to ensure that it had worked. "There, good as new."

"She still needs to see a doctor," Kohaku informs him as he passes the torch back to him. "Something like that is not easily remedied."

"Okay, yeah, you right," Sam admits, "But it's good enough for now."

"If there are more traps in here--"

"Yeah, but she's not going to walk headfirst into another one--"

"You don't know that."

This shuts Sam up as he just looks at him, then back to you. "Are you okay to go on?"

Are you? The truth is, the unpredictability of these traps has left you a little rattled, especially since you just narrowly avoided falling into one of said traps. Still, you want to be as much help as you can to get the scroll, and you will not be able to help much at all, if you go back now.

Will you go on?

A. Keep going.  
B. Stay back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/uQmi21Z.png](https://i.imgur.com/uQmi21Z.png)
> 
> Okay, let me clarify, this choice does not result in the protagonist leaving the story entirely, it just decides where she will be when stuff inevitably goes down.
> 
> Actually, there's a funny story about this choice: I was about to post a different one. Really, [I had a poll ready and everything](https://www.strawpoll.me/16804372) (Don't vote on it, I'm not checking it). But then I realized a better choice would've been this one, so I added it on.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Note: The one thing to take away from all of this is: nice comments mean faster updates. :)


	49. "That Could've Killed Me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the chapter 98% finished today, and the one thing that was stopping me from finishing it...was because I was procrastinating my laundry...really. Well at least I got it up in time.
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving to those of us in the U.S.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Keep going.**  
_**"That Could've Killed Me"** _

 

"I can keep going," you say, getting up. 

"Are you sure?" Sam asks. 

You nod. "Yeah, it's not that bad anymore." 

He accepts this, and turns to Kohaku who reluctantly accepts this as well. The three of you proceed through the "Power" door. 

As Sam and Kohaku carefully examine the room, you stay by the door, not wanting to hurt yourself any more. You put your hands in your jacket pocket and you notice the leaves that you had taken from the tree before are no longer there; they must have fallen out. You sigh, wondering if there was some truth to the myth about them. 

"There's a gate blocking the next door," Kohaku points out. "Is there something to raise it?" 

"Okay, we have a sort of training dummy here in the center," Sam observes, "And a bunch of holes in the wall about where the dummy is." 

You see what they are talking about from the light of their torches. There was a door on the far side of the room blocked off by a metal gate. In the center of the room, there is a wooden training dummy which appears to be holding a big sword--or at least that what it is supposed to look like. When Sam turns the head of the dummy, he narrowly avoids being shot in the head by an arrow from the wall. 

"Sam!" you cry out, mostly out of surprise. 

"I'm okay," he assures you, "Holy shit, that could've killed me." 

Kohaku walks over to the training dummy, holding something long and thin he found on the other side of them room. "Allow me." He hands the torch to Sam, who backs off a safe distance. 

"Okay," he says, "Just…don't get hit in the head." 

Kohaku chuckles at this. "I may have been wrong about the door, but I am not wrong about this." 

He takes a combative stance and begins hitting the dummy with the object in his hand. Parts of the dummy spin as he hits it, but there are no arrows shooting from the walls. He ended his barrage of strikes by knocking the dummy down entirely. When this happens, you hear some sort of mechanism from the other side of the room. Kohaku smugly takes his torch back to show off the door, with the gate no longer blocking it. 

You and Sam cross the room and see that the gate is up and the door is now accessible. 

"Okay, so you weren't wrong about this one," Sam admits. 

"How'd you know what to do?" you wonder. 

Kohaku points to a sign not too far from the door. "It says that the practice sword I used is meant for a warrior. Anyone familiar with a sword could have solved this puzzle." 

You wonder how you could have passed this test without him. The three of you proceed to the next room to see that, unlike the other rooms, there is visible damage to the walls and floor of the room. There is a man-made pit in the center, which appears to be bigger than intended. 

"An earthquake must have torn this room apart," Kohaku surmises. 

"And the test along with it." Sam approaches the pit, the light of his torch reveals some kind of ladder on the other end, attached to one wooden pole in the floor on the other side. 

You can tell what this test was just by seeing the ladder. "This is--I mean, was--supposed to be balance." 

"How can you tell?" Kohaku asks. 

"They use those ladders in rigged carnival games," you explain, "You're supposed to climb up and down it on a slope, but it's designed to dump you at the slightest weight shift." 

"She's right," Sam confirms, "It looks like it's connected at one point instead of two." 

"Perhaps you can jump and climb up the other side," Kohaku suggests. 

"It's won't work," he shoots the idea down, "Since it's only connected at one point, the rope would snap under my weight if that centuries-old piece of wood doesn't." 

You frown. There has to be some way across; you have come too far to be blocked by a pit. 

Sam looks down into the pit. "It's not as deep as the other one…maybe we can climb down and back up…yeah, I think we can manage that." 

"Really?" Kohaku says, "With her and her bad shoulder--?" 

"If you can just get me up to the other side, I can secure the ladder so you both can climb up it," he explains. 

"What about going back?" he wonders. 

"We can do the same thing with the ladder on the other side!" Sam points out irritably. "Now, unless you have a better idea…?" 

Kohaku looks to you to see if you have any other ideas, but you fail to come up with any. 

The men toss the torches to the other side so it would not get in the way while climbing. The three of you climb down into the pit with you being extra careful because of your shoulder. When you get to the bottom, Sam has you boost him up so he can climb onto Kohaku's shoulders and onto the ledge on the other side. Everything goes off without a hitch and he holds the ladder so that the rest of you can climb up safely. Kohaku helps you get onto the ladder and waits until you are safely on the other side before climbing up yourself. When you are all safely on the other side, Sam pulls the ladder up onto the ledge, just in case. 

The next room is a significantly smaller room, making you think that you have made it. In the middle is what looks like a ceremonious table with a box on it. 

"This is it," Sam grins, "We found it." 

Kohaku walks up to the table and reads the inscription on the box, but frowns as he does so. "This did not belong to Minamoto Yoritomo." 

"What?" 

You and Sam approach to get a better look at the box. Kohaku opens it, and the scroll is not inside, instead, a folding fan lay inside the box. 

"If this didn't belong to Minamoto, who did it belong to?" you wonder. 

"Houjou Masako," Kohaku informs you. He opens the fan, but none of you can make out what are on the panels of the fan. 

Sam scoffs, "Now what? Is this another clue to the last scroll?" 

"Perhaps you were right about the other shrine," the _nihonjin_ admits. 

"'Perhaps'," he repeats, mockingly, "Come on, maybe if we hurry we can get to the other shrine before--" 

Sam is interrupted by the staticky sound of Sully's voice, "…how you guys doing down there?" 

"This was the wrong shrine Victor, we're coming back up," he replies. 

There is more static but you manage to make out what he says, "…keep looking, I'm getting a little antsy…" 

You and Sam give each other a look as you both realize that Sully did not really respond to you. 

"Nadine, you there?" he asks. 

"…going in and out…I can hear you," Nadine tells you. 

"How many of Uematsu's men are around?" 

"…enough. Why? Do you…Victor needs help?" 

"Yeah," you say, "He's not even talking to us now." 

"What's going on?" Kohaku asks. 

"I think Uematsu's men have Sully," you tell him. 

"They're probably using him as bait out there," Sam concludes. 

"He's…you do all the legwork," Nadine informs you, "Do you…the scroll?" 

"No," he retorts, "We just found some ceremony fan down here." 

There is a pause before she speaks again. "Sorry, didn't catch all that, did you say you only found a fan down there?" 

"It's a Japanese folding fan," you say, taking it from Kohaku, "There's something on the panels but I can't make it out." 

You can make out Nadine cursing on the other side. "It's the other shrine then, I'm going down into it." 

"No!" you object, "This shrine was filled with traps and puzzles, we need to go down there with you." 

"Then what...men who have Victor?" she asks, "They won't let you leave without a fight." 

"Then we'll have to fight them!" Sam says, "The point is, there's no way you can get through that other shrine by yourself!" 

"Oi!" Kohaku calls for both of your attention. While the two of you were talking, he was investigating the room some more and found a door blocked off with a wooden bar. 

Where does the door go? You are wondering if you should go through it and find out or backtrack and help Sully. For all you know, the door could lead out to the other shine, or the real location of the final piece of the scroll. 

Do you go through the door, or backtrack?

A. Go through the door.  
B. Backtrack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/URHxqDZ.png](https://i.imgur.com/URHxqDZ.png)
> 
> What to do, what to do. I dunno, it's up to you guys.
> 
> As for the mystery of the fan...well, we'll just have to save that for later, don't we?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	50. The Back Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, a Tuesday update? I wonder why.
> 
> Check the original posting date.
> 
> That's right, I've been successfully updating this fic for a whole year! That has never happened, at least not on a consistent basis. Thanks so much for voting and supporting me for this long.
> 
> I'd say here's to another year, but I'm hoping we finish before then.
> 
> By the way, I should also mention that I'm starting another Uncharted fanfiction project that's a little different from this one. It won't adhere to a schedule and I'm writing it in my spare time when I don't have to write for this one. Keep an eye out for it.
> 
> Thanks for a year of you support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Go through the door.**  
_**The Back Door** _

"Let's go through the door, see where it leads," you say.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Sam disagrees, "The more time we spend down here, the worse off Victor will be."

"Maybe the real scroll is in there," you suggest.

"More likely it's another way out," Kohaku points out. "It's blocked off on this side for a reason."

"Go through the door," Nadine says suddenly, "I'll help Victor."

"Are you sure?" you ask.

"Of course, just..." her voice fizzles out as she goes on, so you are unable to make out what she is saying.

"Drake, _tasukete_ ," Kohaku tells Sam as he attempts to lift the bar.

When Sam goes to help, he cannot help but comment that the wooden bar is heavy.

With the door unbarred, you open it and see a long hallway, similar to the one the three of you went down when you first entered the shrine. At the end of the hallway was a room identical to the first room. You figure that this is under the shrine honoring Minamoto's battles.

You are proven correct when Kohaku's phone suddenly goes off, signaling that he has received several text messages at once, since he most likely lost cell phone signal underground. As he checks his messages, a chiptune plays as his ringtone.

"It's Cleena," he shows the two of you his phone, showing a picture of Cleena as well as her name in all-caps on the phone, signifying that she is, indeed calling him.

"What does she want?" Sam wonders.

"I'll see," he answers the phone.

He speaks to Cleena in Japanese, so you and Sam are unable to understand him. You take the opportunity to examine the fan closely, using the light of Sam's torch. There is writing on the fan that you cannot make out, you hope that Kohaku would be able to read it.

"It's awfully convenient for Cleena to be calling now," Sam points out, speaking in Spanish so that only you can understand him.

"Yeah." The thought did not occur to you until he mentions it. "What do you think it means?"

"I have no idea," he admits. "I don't think he's working for Uematsu, but why would his superiors help him out anyway?"

Once again, he is bringing up the fact that Kohaku may be secretly working for his own yakuza faction; the mere prospect is enough to make you nervous. Still, you want to believe that Kohaku wants to help you because it's the right thing to do.

When he gets off the phone he turns to you. "Sorry, she's taking care of business for me in Yokohama."

"Okay," Sam says, not giving away his suspicions.

"When we get back up, we will have to dodge Uematsu's men." He holds his hand out, "I'll hold onto the fan."

"Why you?" Sam questions immediately. "Why can't she hold it? Or even give it to me?"

Kohaku does not have an answer, he merely looks at you and says, "I can take care of it."

"So can I," Sam informs him, "Why does it have to be you?"

Kohaku is flat out not answering, that could mean that his reason is not good enough--or that he's hiding something.

"You have to trust me," he pleads.

Can you? The situation is getting dire; you have no idea if this fan actually has any connection to the katana and you need Kohaku to translate what is on the fan. If Kohaku runs off with the fan, that is it, Chloe and Charlie are dead. You also have to consider that if the delicate fan is damaged, then you are also out of luck.

Who should you give the fan to?

A. No one, hold onto it yourself  
B. Sam  
C. Kohaku

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/3u6RTHR.png](https://i.imgur.com/3u6RTHR.png)
> 
> What's going to happen? Well, I know, but I bet you guys won't. So the question is: Who do you trust more? Sam, Kohaku, or yourself?
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> [And if you were wonder, this is Kohaku's ringtone for Cleena.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc_8E_fppHQ)


	51. Falling Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's still Thursday somewhere, including here, for forty-five minutes.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: No one, hold onto it yourself.**  
_**Falling Down** _

"I think I'll hold onto it," you tell him.

This gives Kohaku a pained look in his eye, but he does not argue with you. "Very well. Let's get out of here."

As Sam searches for a lever to open the trap door, you hear an alert sound from Kohaku's phone. He quickly types a response to it and puts it away.

You did not give it much thought before, but now you notice that he is asking suspicious. "Who was that from?"

"Cleena," he responds, "Confirming something."

"Okay," you say, "And you've been on your phone a whole lot since we left Yokohama."

"Business, mostly," he explains, bluntly, "I left Yokohama so abruptly, that I had unfinished business to work on. I've been communicating with my subordinates this entire time, but when they cannot get a hold of me, like now, they talk to Cleena."

If Kohaku is lying, he is doing a really good job of it.

Sam has managed to find the lever and open the trap door going outside. The three of you climb up and out of the shrine, the coast apparently being clear.

"Okay, we just need to get out of here and we'll be in the clear," Sam says.

The three of you make your way toward the entrance, but you cannot help but notice people staring at you as you pass.

"Is everyone alright?" you hear Sully's voice.

"We should be asking you that Victor," Sam tells him.

"Yeah, Uematsu was just here--"

"Uematsu himself?!" Nadine suddenly exclaims.

"Yes, Uematsu himself held me at gunpoint," Sully explains.

"Okay, so why'd he let you go?" Sam asks.

"He said something about the problem working itself out and left."

You get a quick look at your surroundings and notice that you are being followed.

"They're gonna kill us," you say, your voice cracking.

"Cleena, _boku o shippai shinaide kudasai_ ," you can hear Kohaku mutter.

Then, in the distance, you hear a police siren--several in fact. 

"Shit, now we gotta deal with the _cops_ now?!" Sam complains.

"Would you rather deal with the yakuza?" Kohaku asks him.

He begins to run, causing the people who had been following you to run at you. Having no other options, you and Sam go to catch up to him. Suddenly, a man jumps out in front of you with a gun drawn.

You freeze, afraid for your life.

Fortunately, Kohaku is proactive and throws the man to the ground, disarming him at the same time. Gun in hand, he keeps moving as if he never stopped. Sam grabs your hand and the pursuit continues.

You are approaching a long set of stairs, similar to the ones that you and Sully climbed on your way to the first shrine, but these appear to have been built into the hill. You and Sam stop at the top of the hill while Kohaku continues onward.

"What's wrong?" you ask.

Instead of answering, he says "Sorry about this."

Before you can inquire about what he is talking about, he pushes you down and you roll down the hill. You are dazed for a minute, but you can make out Sam running to catch up to Kohaku. In your ear, you hear one side of an argument between the two of them and Sam telling Sully and Nadine to pick you up.

You know why he pushed you down--you have the fan. There are onlookers all over the place and you rolling all the way down the hill have gotten their attention, something that Uematsu's men do not want. People are starting to come over to you, presumably asking if you are okay. Besides the initial fall and the fact that it aggravated your shoulder, you are fine.

The ruse works at first, with one of the pursuers ignoring you and heading in the men's direction. You are relieved and sit on the ground as the onlookers fawn over you.

Then, all of a sudden, they all back away, gasping and screaming in fear. You are confused until you look up and see the pursuer had come back for you is pointing his gun at you.

"Give it to me!" He shouts at you. "What you found! Give it to me!"

You are thoroughly confused and frightened--how could this person know that you have something from the tomb? Had he seen through the façade? These thoughts, however, are pushed to the back of your mind as fear takes over.

Your first thought is to just give this man the fan, it is not worth your life--but then again, how do you know he will not kill you anyway? You can buy time while Sully and Nadine get to you, but he might get impatient and shoot you before they can arrive. Finally, you can play up your fear, act like you found nothing and beg for your life, but once again, he just might kill you anyway.

What should you do?

A. Give up the fan.  
B. Buy time.  
C. Beg for your life.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/eaWGDsi.png](https://i.imgur.com/eaWGDsi.png)
> 
> Here's the warning: **one of more of these choices _may_ kill you.**
> 
> As for how this situation came to be, who knows? I know you chose to hold onto the fan because you don't seem to trust Kohaku anymore. I mean, after that awfully convenient call in the last chapter and that mysterious text message in this chapter, I can't blame you. But, whether or not he is trustworthy is no longer your concern, you won't get any choices about it after this...in fact, you may not get anymore choices at all.
> 
> Choose wisely.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh, and I'll be updating later than usual this time around since I'm going on a trip.
> 
> To where?
> 
> Oh, nowhere...
> 
> JUST ON THE SMASH BROS HYPE TRAIN!!! CHOO-CHOO!!!


	52. Talking Your Way Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, you're not going to like what's in this chapter.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Buy time.**  
_**Talking Your Way Out** _

You must buy time for Sully and Nadine to get here, you need to say something.

"I-I don't have anything," You tell him, hoping that you are convincing enough, "Those guys, they have the scroll."

The man puts his fingers to his ear, saying something in Japanese, all while keeping his gun trained on you.

"You are lying," he says, "Give me what you found!"

"I told you I don't--"

You are silenced by a loud popping sound.

It takes you a moment to register what happened.

You look down and see blood gushing from your leg.

The pain finally registers, and you cry out in pain, clutching your leg.

It hurts.

It hurts so much!

You hear voices in your ear, but you cannot make out what they are saying over the sound of your own agony.

"The next shot will kill you," you hear the man finally say. "Give me what you found."

You look up at him. At this point, you no longer care about Minamoto, Chloe or even Sam--you just want the pain to stop.

In an act of self-preservation, you reach into your pocket, and take out the fan. The man snatches the fan from your grasp and lowers his weapon.

You are safe.

Until the man raises his gun to you again. "What is this shit?!" He opens the fan to show that it is broken--most likely from the tumble down the hill.

"I fell! It broke--" you try to explain, but it is no use.

"I warned you," is all he says.

You shut your eyes and prepare for the inevitable.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? A two-hundred word chapter and a cliffhanger with no poll after nearly two weeks of waiting?
> 
> Well, I wanna keep you in suspense. Don't worry, the next chapter's going up on Monday. But what will it be? An epilogue? A continuation from another character's point of view? There's only one way to find out.
> 
> Oh and the poll closing date in the summary is to avoid spoilers for onlookers.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	53. Pain and Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's the new chapter for the few of you who haven't ragequit from the last chapter!
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Continued From Previous Chapter**  
_**Pain and Blood** _

You are expecting a searing pain in your chest, but you feel nothing. You open your eyes and see the man on the ground, staring up at nothing.

It is not until you hear Marcel calling out your name that you realize what has just happened. He, Sully and Nadine had come for you.

When Marcel kneels down beside you to ask if you are okay, you throw your arms around his neck and cry in relief.

"Your leg looks pretty bad," Sully observes.

"She needs to go to the hospital," Nadine points out.

"Preferably one that's not run by the yakuza," Sully adds.

" _Keisatsu ga yattekuru_ ," you hear someone say.

At this point, you are beginning to get woozy, and you have a hard time who's saying what.

"We need to apply pressure to the wound."

"This is going to hurt sweetheart."

You feel pressure on the bullet wound causing you to cry out. Eventually, your leg goes numb, but the world around you is not fading as fast. You feel yourself being carried somewhere as you eventually pass out.

You wake up in an unfamiliar room, it looks sterile. You hear a beep in time with your heartbeat. You are in a hospital room.

You look to your right and see Momoko reading a book next to you.

Wait, Momoko?

As you come to your senses, you recall the moments before you lost consciousness. You descended into a tomb below Minamoto's shrine with Sam and Kohaku, you found the fan, Sully was taken hostage by Uematsu for a short while, you were chased by the yakuza, Sam had pushed you down the hill to throw off your pursuers, but someone knew you had something anyway.

It is only by Sully, Nadine and Marcel's timely rescue that you are alive. But there was a burning suspicion in your mind--Kohaku's mysterious behavior as you left the tomb. He asked you for the fan, he received mysterious text messages and a phone call from Cleena and then a man knew you had the fan.

Anger burned within you as you stared at Momoko, which she must have sensed as she turned to look at you.

"You're awake," she says, sounding relieved.

"Where's Kohaku?" you growl.

She immediately looks guilty. "K-Kohaku-kun isn't here right now..."

"Cleena then," you retort, "Sam, Sully, anyone! I want answers!"

Momoko shoots up and bows, her hesitant nature showing. " _Ha-hai_. Cl-Cleena-sama is here."

She rushes out of the room and mere minutes later, Cleena enters the room. "Good mornin' lass," she says nonchalantly.

"Don't 'good morning' me, bitch," you spit. "Where am I? Where's Sam? Where's everyone else?"

You expect her to get defensive toward your attitude, but instead, she chuckles. "I didn' peg you for a feisty one. I like it." You are about to bark at her again, but she begins to explain herself, "You're in a private hospital in Atami, no yakuza affiliation, so you're safe."

This information puts you somewhat at ease, but you are still wary. "Where are the others?"

For the first time ever, you see Cleena become hesitant. "You're not gonna like this, I know I wouldn'."

Your heart sinks as you brace yourself for the bad news.

"You have to understand lass, Uematsu is an incredibly dangerous man, most people who cross him don' live to tell the tale."

"They're dead, aren't they?" you say.

"No," she assures you, "They're alive, Kohaku made sure o' that."

This confuses you. "What did Kohaku do?"

"He told you about his father, and the name 'Kitsuneou'." You nod, and she continues, "The night after the heist, Uematsu came to our house and offered Kohaku to work for him in exchange for his father's name."

You pale as you hear this: Kohaku had been feeding information to Uematsu for the entire time you were in Atami.

Cleena goes on, "Of course, he wasn' about to go against everything his da stood for, but this opportunity was too good to pass up." When she sees that you do not quite understand, she explains, "He was a double agent, lass."

You think back to when you were in the tomb with him, when he was pleading for you to trust him as he asked for the fan. Why had he not simply told you and Sam what was happening? If he had done that, you would not be in the hospital right now.

"So what happened to the others?" you ask.

She shifts uncomfortably. "Uematsu has them."

Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach as you hear this. If Uematsu has Sam, Sully, Nadine and Marcel captive, then Chloe and Charlie are as good as dead.

"But we're gonna be getting' them out," she elaborates, "Kohaku's got Frazer and Cutter's cooperation, we just need a good time t' strike." She gets an alert from her phone and checks it, "Speakin' o' which, I need t' be gettin' goin'."

"Wait," you stop her, "I'm coming too."

"You're not goin' anywhere lass," she tells you firmly. She points to the leg where you were shot. "That bullet tore through your leg, there's no way you'll be walkin' on it. Not to mention that nasty shoulder o' yours."

"I can't just sit here while everyone else is in trouble!" you exclaim.

Cleena rolls her eyes and sighs. "This was a lot t' take in, you're bein' too emotional right now and it won' help anyone."

"Would you wanna just sit here if you were me?" you ask.

She considers this before finally saying, "Okay, I'll tell you what: think about it, and _really_ think about it, and tell me if you think you can help somehow."

You take some time to properly consider it. You have been shot in the leg and had your shoulder dislocated and relocated again--there is not much you can do. Still, you feel somewhat responsible for what happened--if you had not asked for Kohaku's help, this would not have happened. Although, without his help, you would not have saved Nadine or figure out that the final clue was in Atami.

What can you do?

You can go in as bait for whatever Kohaku and the others have planned--make it look like a desperate, last-ditch effort to save your friends. Surely, that would be enough to pull off whatever it is. Or, perhaps, as a better idea, you could be a driver; you have one good leg and some idea of how Japanese traffic laws work, you can do that. Although, now that you are thinking about it, it may not be a good idea to get involved any more at all. Still, you feel inclined to do something.

What will you do?

A. Go in as bait.  
B. Be a driver.  
C. Stay at the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/vlZwwOL.png](https://i.imgur.com/vlZwwOL.png)
> 
> Oh, the protagonist is not dead? Well Merry Christmas to you too!
> 
> Well, to be honest, I had the chapter pretty much finished on Thursday...but I wanted to leave a cliffhanger anyway! Why would I do such a thing? ~~Because I'm evil.~~ Oh, no reason in particular.
> 
> We're about to enter into the final stretch...unless you choose option C which takes us right to the epilogue after all the action happens. And on that note, I'm upset that it played out like this. I anticipated a whole police chase that involved Sam, Kohaku and maybe the protagonist, and after all that everyone heads to a "safe" bar as proclaimed by Kohaku and Marcel treats them to sake shots like he promised dozens of chapters ago. But the sake turned out to have been drugged and the whole buildup to whether or not Kohaku could be trusted culminates into a moment where everyone faints and the protagonist is shocked as Kohaku is completely fine and not reacting to this. And then we wake up and all hopes seems lost until it's not.
> 
> Here, all this comes out as exposition and...it kinda sucks. I know it's my story and I can do whatever I want, but I wanted to write the characters the way I think they'd react in this position. Sam thought he could keep suspicion off the protagonist by literally throwing her off their trail, but because Kohaku felt like he had to keep everyone in the dark, it backfired.
> 
> Oh well, that's what happens when you write CYOA.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays!


	54. Infiltration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's still Thursday somewhere in the world.
> 
> Thanks for your support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice A: Go in as bait.**  
_**Infiltration** _

"I can go in as bait," you decide. Cleena stares at you for a minute before saying anything, you stare at her intently to let her know how serious you are.

Finally she says, "Do you think I'm buttoned up the back? I already told you what kind o' state you're in lass, you can' be struttin' into Uematsu's hideout like that!"

"Tell me that it wouldn't be better for you if I did," you challenge.

"It would," she says this without hesitation, which perturbs you a little, "but Kohaku wouldn' be havin' any of it."

"Maybe you can convince him," you press, "It would make sense, I just lost all of my friends, I could be desperate enough to try something so stupid."

She looks you dead in the eye, completely serious, "You could die, you know that? Some thug could get ahead o' himself and shoot you on sight."

This makes you reconsider for a moment, but there is no way you can live with the guilt over Sam and the others dying when you could have prevented it.

You look Cleena in the eye and reaffirm your decision, "I'll still do it."

She smiles at you. "You're tougher than Kohaku gives you credit for."

Within two hours, you are out of the hospital, dressed and ready for the operation. Cleena has hired a car to take you only as far as five blocks away from the hideout--a legitimate-looking office building. On the way, Cleena sets up a video call to Kohaku to discuss the finer details.

"I don't agree with this plan," is the first thing he says when the call starts. You notice he is looking worse for the wear, most noticeably with his right eye being swollen.

"Oh hush," Cleena tells him, "Me goin' in guns blazin' was never a good idea in the first place."

"Hey," you decide to speak up, "Should you be doing a video call right now?"

" _Kinishinaide_ ," he says, "Despite the absolute failure of allow you to hold the fan, it gave Uematsu more of a reason to trust me." He looks into the camera--presumably at you--and bows his head. " _Moushiwake arimasen_. I did not mean for you to get hurt."

You are unsure of how to respond, but fortunately, Cleena does not give you a chance to do so. "Save your 'sorry' for later, we have a job to do."

The two of them proceed to explain how you will enter the hideout through the loading dock, which will be conveniently left open, and make your way up to the second floor using Staircase B where you will be seen by security cameras and captured immediately. While this is going on, Cleena will enter through the front door with seemingly-legitimate business; when Uematsu's men are busy with you, they will not concern themselves with anyone conspicuously coming in. This seems like a good enough plan, it does not require a lot of effort on your part, plus it seems safe--you hope.

When you are dropped off, you make your way to the office building and see the loading dock, open as expected. While it is hard to get around with your leg in a cast, you manage to climb onto the loading dock and into the building. You rest for a moment, but only for a moment--time is limited after all. You think everything is running smooth until you turn the corner and bump into someone unexpected.

Marikit.

The two of you stare at each other for a moment, not sure what to say or do.

Finally she speaks up, "You need to leave."

"Mari--" you try to talk to her, but she will hear none of it.

"Your friends are about to be killed, if they find you, they'll kill you with them."

You look up at the security camera pointed at the staircase, you are _just_ out of sight of it. "You don't understand, I need--"

"We have all the pieces of the scroll," she tells you, "It's over, you've lost, get out while you still can."

You think about what options you have. You can try to explain the situation to her, but you risk wasting too much time, for everyone. Another option would be to try to punch her in the face and try to get to the staircase, it would get you caught, but Mari would be able to catch you before you can make it to the second floor, which would somewhat disrupt the plan. Or, perhaps you should listen to her, what you are doing is dangerous and you may be risking your life unnecessarily.

What will you do?

A. Explain the situation.  
B. Punch her.  
C. Leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/AltRjw2.png](https://i.imgur.com/AltRjw2.png)   
>  **TIE BREAKER AUTHOR VOTE: B**
> 
> Hmm...I keep offering you guys ways out...I wonder why.
> 
> Also, something to think about: If Mari says it's over, then what is _she_ still doing here?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	55. "What do you know about loyalty?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, I have work in seven hours, but I needed to get this out.
> 
> Oh, by the way, for the few of you that comment on this fic, I just wanna apologize for not replying the past month (holidays are not a good time for me). I will try to reply to any new ones you have from here on out, maybe I'll even hint at what comes next when this story's finished.
> 
> Thanks for the support! Enjoy!

Out and About  
**Choice B: Punch her.**  
_**"What do you know about loyalty?"** _

"Mari," you begin, "I'm really sorry about this."

Before she can say or do anything, you give a good swing and punch her in the face, knocking her aside. She is too stunned to do anything as you quickly limp away toward the staircase. You are surprised to make it up to the second floor before you are quickly apprehended. You do not struggle as they bring you to where Sam and the others are presumably being held. 

They open what appears to be the door to a janitor's closet and toss you onto the floor in the room. You look around and see that it is a clean, windowless room--almost like conference room, with a dry-erase board in the front being obscured by a pull-down projector screen. Uematsu is standing over you, looking at you with such pity, with Kohaku standing next to him. Kohaku's face is stone, not letting on his true emotions regarding the situation. 

"What the hell are you doing here?"

You see Sam, Sully, Nadine and Marcel tied down to some chairs, all of them looking at you with such disbelief. 

You have to say something to keep up the cover. "I was…trying to rescue you?" This earns several groans and eye rolls from your companions.

"A brave effort," Uematsu complements you in an almost mocking way, "Perhaps some _gaijin_ are loyal after all."

At that moment, the door opens once again, and you hear the protestations of a man and woman and they are pushed into the room. It is Chloe and who you presume is Charlie Cutter. You did not realize how exactly large a man Charlie is, after only seeing him in passing once. He could definitely take down Uematsu in a fight--although being surrounded by a bunch of armed thugs most likely prevented him from doing just that. 

"Then again," the crime lord continues, "It seems that most are traitorous fools after all."

"Oi," you hear Charlie speak for the first time--he's English, "What do you know about loyalty?"

"I know Katherine Marlowe." 

The name is enough to give Charlie pause. Uematsu goes on to drop other names, most you do not know, such as Roman, Flynn, Adler, Lazarevic, Asav, and some you do know, like your ex-boyfriend Ken as well as your previous employer who claimed that you shot him. By the time he finishes, everyone in the room is equally uncomfortable.

"I know who all of you are, Victor Sullivan, Chloe Frazier, Samuel Drake, I know all about you, and how you betrayed your partners in the past," he taunts everyone. "I'm shocked, that none of you were backstabbing each other along the way."

"There was backstabbing alright," Nadine mutters, glaring at Kohaku, who is still stone-faced. 

Uematsu smiles. "Oh Ross- _san_ , _nihonjin_ are loyal to each other, _soudesune_ , Kitsuneou Kohaku?"

Kohaku's face remains the same, but the clenching of his fist shows his fury at the man who stripped him of his name. You look to Sam, the only one in the room who knows what that name means, but you do not see him react at all.

Not wanting to remain silent, you speak up. "What _do_ you know about loyalty, Uematsu?" You struggle to get up, still talking, "Do you know why we're here?"

He gives a hollow chuckle, "For the katana, for glory, for money, that is all you treasure hunters care about."

You can see Marcel slink in his chair, more than likely feeling guilty about getting everyone into this situation. 

"We're because you kidnapped Chloe," you inform him, "And she's here because you kidnapped Charlie! You lecture us on how we turn our backs on each other, but your plan works because we didn't turn our backs on each other! I didn't turn my back on them--" you gesture to the tied up hostages "--because they've saved my life, I wasn't about to turn my back on them now."

Not really reacting, Uematsu leans toward you to quietly tell you, "They would not do the same for you."

Sam scoffs, "Were you even paying attention?"

"He tends not to," Chloe informs him dryly.

Ignoring both of them Uematsu approaches the projector shade and gets it to roll up, revealing the now-completed narrative scroll depicting Minamoto Yoritomo. You see that the final piece had been printed on the fan from the shrine; this remind you of the fan that Genevieve offered you in exchange for your scarf days ago. You frown as you realized you may have been able to figure out the scroll was on the fan if you had just had Genevieve's fan in your possession; perhaps you would not even be in this mess. 

"My sword lays on the shore of Sunosaki," Uematsu reads, "Very simple, after sending its seekers on a quest across Japan. Truly, this will be my greatest victory, retrieving the sword of my honored ancestor. Nothing is more important."

" _Sumiyoshi-kai yori motto taisetsuna no_?" Kohaku asks, his mask slipping.

"Business is simply business Kitsuneou Kohaku," he replies, not turning to look at him, "You understand that."

Kohaku almost snarls at this, his rage building. Uematsu does not notice it, since he is not turning to face him. 

"That is it," he says, "This is where the story ends. I retrieve the sword, and you die here." He turns slightly and he catches Marcel's eye. "Ah--except for you Lister-san, you should be thankful for your sister, you will only get to watch these people die." He leaves, not even looking at Kohaku, but still instructing him, " _Sorera o koroshi nasai_."

When he closes the door behind him, everyone sits in silence, not knowing what would happen. You know that no one is going to die, but there are several people in the room who do not know that. 

"Well," Chloe finally speaks up, "That was easier than I thought."

"What?" Nadine balks. 

"You underestimate how racist Uematsu is," Kohaku tells her, his anger only slightly subsiding. He pulls out a knife and goes to free the tied up hostages.

"Now wait just one goddamn minute," Sully says, "What the hell is going on here?"

As he freed everyone, Kohaku explained what Cleena had told you in the hospital, with those unaware reacting with mild shock. 

You are surprised to see Sam not react to the news. "You knew?"

"Yeah," he nods, "I had to make him tell me after the shit he pulled at the shrine."

You realize now where Kohaku's black eye came from. 

"The better question is," Sully begins, "If you knew, what are you doing here?"

You shrug. "I was a distraction."

"Distraction for what?" Nadine asks.

Her question is answered when you hear gunshots coming from another floor. 

"That wasn't--" Marcel gasps, realizing who that could be.

"She's fine," Kohaku assures him as he finishes freeing everyone, "And she's our only chance of getting out of here."

"That's all well and good and all," Charlie says to him, "How _are_ we getting out of here?"

"The loading dock," he replies gesturing to you, "It's the way she came in, it's the way--"

"Wait," you stop him, "I should probably mention, I kind of ran into someone on the way in." When Kohaku does not say anything, you continue, "It was Marikit."

"What did you do?" Marcel asks immediately.

"I punched her in the face," you inform him sheepishly.

"If you're saying this," Kohaku begins slowly, "Then you could not have been far from the loading dock." When you shake your head, he begins to formulate a backup plan. 

"Listen, we don't have time to think of another plan," Chloe points out. "While Cleena's busy up there, we can leave through the loading dock anyway."

"But they'll be waiting there," he tells her.

"We can take care of ourselves," Charlie informs him.

Kohaku groans as he takes out his gun. "Okay, you go for the loading dock."

"And what are you doing?" Sam asks. 

"My superiors have tasked me with eliminating Uematsu," he explains, not attempting to hide his resentment for the yakuza boss. "It has gotten to a point where even the Sumiyoshi- _kai_ have gotten sick of him. _I will kill him_."

The way he says that last statement has you worried; you are afraid that he is going to get himself hurt. Because he is acting way differently than his usual cool-headed self, you are reluctant to believe his story about being asked by the Inagawa- _kai_ to kill him. If this is about revenge, you have to talk him out of it. 

Then again, talking him out of revenge may not work so you wrack your brain for another excuse. You think back to what you know about Uematsu and you remember something Sam's sister-in-law said:

"People recall Kichirou having two sons--a set of twins. But, there's apparently only one in charge, with the other nowhere to be found. Some people think that they've been passing themselves off as one person…but there's no real evidence of this."

Uematsu may be a set of twins--he did not seem to recognize you just now despite having met him at the Brodeur Gallery. It is a long shot but it may convince Kohaku not to go through with it.

"I will fire my gun and send the guards inside," Kohaku informs you all. "I'm sure you can take care of them and get out after that."

Before you can speak up, he fires seven shots into the ceiling--enough to supposedly kill all of you. He then quickly exits the room and tells the guards something in Japanese to send them in. When they enter, they are confused about seeing all of you alive and are quickly subdued by your allies. 

Chloe and Sam are quick to arm themselves with the guards' weapons. They are ready to lead everyone out to the loading dock, but Sam notices you are hesitant to go with them.

"Hey, you good?" he asks.

"We can't let Kohaku do this," you tell him.

"He'll be fine," he tries to assure you, "He knows what he's doing?"

Does he?

Should you ignore your gut and follow everyone out, or try and stop Kohaku?

A. Get out.  
B. Stop Kohaku--Talk him out of revenge.  
C. Stop Kohaku--Tell him about the twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Poll Results: https://i.imgur.com/jrGCe9w.png](https://i.imgur.com/jrGCe9w.png)
> 
> Okay, we are in the end zone right now and what you choose here will impact who lives and who dies. But I will tell you this: **someone will die**.
> 
> Also, I regret putting so many characters in a room together, I feel like characters who would normally say more ended up being quiet. *cough**cough*Sully*cough**cough*.
> 
> Well, anyway, what happens, happens. Choose wisely...and please try not to tie it up, I feel cheap breaking the tie with a virtual coin flip.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	56. The Awful Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a surprisingly stressful week for me, and the stress isn't going to let up in the next week.
> 
> This chapter's pretty heavy, brace yourselves.
> 
> Thanks for you support! Enjoy!

Out and About   
**Choice C: Stop Kohaku--Tell him about the twins.**   
_**The Awful Truth** _

No, you cannot shake this inkling you have that Uematsu may, in fact, be twins.

"We can't let him do this," you urge Sam, "What if Uematsu really are a set of twins?"

He blinks, clearly clueless about what you are talking about. "What?"

You quickly explain how you think that Irou Uematsu is really the set of twins their father supposedly had. Sam is not impressed by this outlandish theory.

You turn to Sully. "Sully did Uematsu seem to recognize you just now? I don't think he recognized me."

Sully furrowed his brow. "Come to think of it, I don't think he did--and he held me a gunpoint just yesterday."

Sam looks at him incredulously. "Victor, you can't possibly think--"

"She might be onto something Sam."

"Okay," Nadine speaks up, "Let's say you're right. What does it matter? We're safe--Chloe's safe, Uematsu doesn't matter to us anymore."

"Yeah, to hell with him," Charlie agrees, obviously bitter about being held captive.

You do not blame them for not wanting to stop Kohaku, but another thought occurs to you:

"What if Kohaku kills one brother and the other swears revenge against us?"

This is enough to get Sam to change his tune. "Okay, maybe we should stop Shimino."

"You're that afraid for your life?" Nadine quips.

His face grows serious. "He found Charlie, he'll find Nathan. I'm not about to put my little brother at risk like that."

This enough to get Nadine to rethink her stance--perhaps out of fear for any loved ones she has.

"Okay, you all head for the loading dock," Sully says, referring to Marcel, Nadine, Chloe and Charlie. "We'll stop Kohaku."

"I'll come too," Marcel tells him. "Everything was my fault, after all."

"Marcel, maybe you should--" you try to talk him out of it, but he refuses.

"If you want your money when we get out of this, you'll let me come with you!" He challenges.

You are about to tell him that money does not matter, but you are suddenly reminded of your empty bank account. Not to mention, not being paid for everything you have gone through would leave a sour taste in your mouth. Sam and Sully probably feel the same way.

"Fine," you relent, "Maybe you can say something to convince him."

"Okay," Chloe says, "We'll see you outside then."

"Yeah," Sam assures her, "This shouldn't take long."

Chloe leads Charlie and Nadine out with the latter giving you a lingering look before leaving. You understand Nadine's reluctance about this, but you would not be able to live with yourself if something happened to Kohaku.

Sam leads the three of you out of the room and into the hallway.

"Now, where did he go?" Sully wonders.

You look down the hall, in the opposite direction of the staircase and where Chloe and the others went. You see a bloodless, dead body on the ground.

"I think he went that way," you point out.

Having nothing else to go on, the group went toward the body. As you approach the body, you see another one not too far. Apparently, Kohaku had left a trail of dead bodies in his wake, allowing you to follow him undetected.

You finally catch up to him as he dispatches one more guard. He sees all of you right away.

" _Nanishiteruno_?!" He almost shouts. "This has nothing to do with you anymore!"

"We can't let you do this," you tell him.

"It doesn't matter to you," he growls, "This is business!"

"And this has nothing to do with your father?" You challenge.

Before Kohaku can retort, Sam gets between the two of you. "Shimino, look, we think Uematsu might be a set of twins."

"That's only a rumor," he says dismissively.

"Yeah? Then how come he didn't recognize us in there?" Sully asks.

Something clicks in Kohaku's head, but he makes up an excuse, "Of course he wouldn't, _gaijin_ are beneath him, remember?"

"He recognized me at the shrine."

That confirms it. Irou Uematsu are, in fact, the Uematsu brothers.

This fact slowly dawns on Kohaku. His face changes as what thoughts appear to be running through his head: he appears contemplative, as he considers what exactly killing Uematsu entails now, concerned that it would endanger you and the others if he goes through with it, and finally, anger at the fact that he cannot go through with it.

He lets out an anguished cry and falls to his knees. He was no longer Shimino Kohaku, the rude, yet honorable yakuza thug, but Kitsuneou Kohaku, the boy who lost his father and his birthname.

" _Sore wa kouheide wa arimasen_!" he cries, breaking down, " _Uso da_! _Uso da_! How can a traitorous murderer like Uematsu be so untouchable?"

"I hate to break it to you kid," Sully says in a paternal sort of way, "But the world's filled with scumbags like Uematsu, and I can tell you: most of them get away with the bullshit they pull."

"But not today Kohaku," Marcel assures him, "Uematsu may get the katana, but he didn't get the pleasure of killing us. The gaijin he mocked got away cleanly--let that be enough."

Kohaku pulls himself together. "You're right...that is enough...it has to be." His last statement almost felt like a tooth was being pulled from him. Letting go of his desire for vengeance is not going to be easy for him, but it's something that he has to do. "I'll call Cleena, tell her to leave."

"Yeah, and we might wanna find cover, since Uematsu's men probably heard all that crying," Sam points out.

"I was not 'crying'!" He denies, embarrassed, "Men don't cry!"

"And what do you call what you did just now?"

"I was..." Kohaku wracks his brain for an English word to tell Sam. "Protesting."

"Oh, okay." He does not believe him. "Well after hearing all that protesting, those guards should be here any minute."

"Right, here," Kohaku leads everyone into an empty office and closes the door.

He gets on the phone and talks to Cleena in Japanese.

"Wow," you sigh, "We might just get out of here alive."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't jinx it," Sam scolds you.

"Sam's right, we're not out of the woods yet," Sully agrees.

Then, you notice Kohaku raising his voice to his wife, and you realize they are right.

" _Yameru_! Cleena!" He cries before he realizes she hung the phone up on him.

"What's wrong?" Marcel asks, concerned for his sister.

Kohaku responds in Japanese, causing the playboy to gasp. You and Sam are lost, and look to Sully for a translation.

"Cleena's going to kill Uematsu herself," he explains.

"What!" Sam furiously exclaims, "That crazy bitch is putting our lives on the line, and for what?"

"To save my career," Kohaku informs him intently. "My superiors want me to kill Uematsu, and she thinks I'm insane to put my career at risk for people I won't see again."

Everyone is silent as they realize that he was not only giving up his vengeance for them, but his career as well.

Sensing this, he explained himself, "I have made my decision. It would be a dishonor to my father's memory if I put you at risk. But that's not what I'm concerned about--I had a chance of killing Uematsu since he would not expect it--an advantage Cleena does not have."

That is when it occurs to you: Cleena can get herself killed. Sure, you did not have much love for the hitwoman, but that was no reason you wishes her dead.

"You can't let her do this," Marcel pleads with his brother-in-law.

"Of course not," he says with certainty. "Uematsu took my father, I'll be damned if he takes my wife!" He opens the door. "Get out while you still can."

He runs out into the hallway, yelling and getting the attention of any guards in the area.

Sam sticks his head out about a minute after. "It's clear."

The four of you go back the way you came with no resistance. When you get to the room you were held in by Uematsu, you stop and look back. The noise coming from the front of the building has increased. You morbidly wonder if Kohaku or Cleena would come back at all. You keep these thoughts to yourself, lest you upset Marcel.

You head downstairs and out the loading dock. Compared to the eventful few days you have had, your final escape seems very anti-climactic.

Once outside, you notice Momoko peeking around the corner. She waves to you but does not make any noise. No one else notices her until you point her out.

"I'm so glad you're safe," she sighs in relief, her voice shaking a little. "When you were not with the others..."

"Momoko," Marcel begins, "How are we leaving?"

"Oh! _Gomen ne_ , there's a car right here," she gestures to a running car behind her. You notice that it is bigger than the one you came in. "It will take us back to the Lister home in Yamate."

You note that she is including herself in this. "What about Kohaku and Cleena?"

"They have their own means of escape," she tells you. When she sees that you are not confident in this, she assures you, "Cleena- _sama_ is very good, she and Kohaku- _kun_ be back before night."

Her confidence in her employers in enough to convince you.

You all enter the car to find that it is a full-blown limousine, stocked with a bottle of sake, ice and some glasses.

Sam immediately takes the bottle. "This isn't drugged too, is it?"

" _Ano_..." Momoko mutters, she brings her voice to a hushed whisper, "This car belongs to Kohaku- _kun_ 's _sempai_..."

You do not know what " _sempai_ " means, bur mention of Kohaku's name is enough to tip you off that the car is yakuza-owned. Sam immediately puts the bottle back, not wanting a repeat of how he and the others got captured in the first place.

The ride back to Yokohama is long and your adrenaline rush that you had been experiencing for the last few hours is long gone, leaving you sore and in pain.

"How're you feeling sweetheart?" Sully asks.

"Like I never should have left my apartment," you answer.

That was the truth. Your jobs were always cut-and-dry with few exceptions, it would have never turned out like this.

Why did you look at that scroll in Sam's desk? Why did you speak up when you noticed there were different parts? Why had you allowed yourself to be whisked away on some adventure in Japan?

The worst part was that you had put your life in danger for the sake of others. While you have enjoyed their company, the fear of them getting hurt--or worse, killed--outweighs the good they have brought into your life.

You spend the rest of the ride in silence. When you drive up to the Lister home, you see that Chloe, Nadine and Charlie had arrived shortly before you have. They inquire about Kohaku and Cleena, Momoko assures everyone that they will arrive in a few hours. Marcel arranges for food to be delivered, since Cleena had dismissed the servants for several days before she left for Atami.

Night falls.

Kohaku and Cleena still have not arrived.

Dread builds up in your stomach; surely, if they had gotten out, they would have been back by now.

You are all hanging out in the living space on the first floor when the doorbell rings.

Momoko eagerly jumps up. "They are here!"

"Why would they use the doorbell of their own home?" Charlie wonders as she skips over to the door.

The next thing you hear is a loud gasp. Sam and Chloe run to the door with the guns they still had from Atami, the rest of you follow behind them.

In the entryway, you see Momoko on the ground, paralyzed in fear as three hulking men in suits stand over her.

" _Te o agero_!" Chloe shouts and she and Sam train their guns on the men.

They are not intimidated. The man in the middle very calmly puts his hand up in a stopping gesture.

"Guns are not necessary," the man on the left tells you gently, "We are not with Uematsu." He gestures to the man in the middle, "This is Hashimoto Katashi- _san_ , Shimino Kohaku's superior."

"Shimino _wa kokodesu ka_?" You presume the question is whether Kohaku is here or not. When none of you answer, he asks another question, " _Kare no tsuma wa_?"

" _Watashi no ane to otto wa kaette konakatta_ ," Marcel tells him painfully.

The man nods sympathetically. He says something else and Marcel nods and leads all three men into the basement--after all they all remove their shoes of course. Everyone assumes that the meeting is private, so none of you follow them down.

The arrival of Kohaku superior and the lack of contact from him and Cleena, everyone assumes the worst.

Marcel spends the better part of an hour with Hashimoto in the basement before the men leave without saying another word.

"They're going to find out what happened," he tells you all in a somber tone. "In the meantime, they're going to give us protection, in case Uematsu strikes back."

" _Ano_ …Marcel- _san_?" Momoko begins very meekly, "Cleena- _sama wa itsu modotte kimasu ka_?"

He does not answer.

"Cleena- _sama wa itsu modotte kimasu ka_?"

He just stares at her.

" _Naze anata wa hanasanai nodesu ka?_ "

He cannot say it.

Tears begin welling up in her eyes. " _Nani ka itte, shite kudasai_!"

He cannot look at her anymore, you can see his eyes well up.

"Cleena- _sama ga modotte kite iru koto o oshietekudasai_!"

These words linger in the air for a while before Momoko collapses and bursts out crying. You cannot bare to see her in such a state, so you descend downstairs into the basement bedroom. You lay on the bed, closing your eyes and hoping to wake up in your own bed, this whole ordeal having been a simple, terrible dream.

It is too bad reality is as bad as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, no need to keep you in suspense: Kohaku and Cleena are dead. We've reached the end.
> 
> The next chapter will be an epilogue wrapping everything up. But if you wanted a payoff to certain plotlines (like the ChloexNadine one) I wouldn't expect too much since the protagonist's mental state has gotten to a point where she does not care about anyone else's problems.
> 
> Anyway, **this may not be the end of Out and About** : there are plenty of paths that are left untaken. Here's what I'm going to do: you guys can go down to the comments and tell me what choices from whatever chapter you want to explore (it can be more than one). When the next chapter's posted, I'll set up a poll that I'll keep up for about a week for people to vote on the best one. Then, I'll repost the story up until that point for new readers (the recap will all be one chapter) and we continue on from there.
> 
> Let me just tell you that all backstories will remain the same from Chapter 5 onward, any choices before then can vary or even end up having a different protagonist completely!
> 
> Or, you know, if no one comments, I'll just move onto another story, no big deal, it's okay if you think the story should be left alone...
> 
> But you gotta wonder...
> 
> I flat out told you in some chapters what the bad choices were and what the correct ones were...plus if we managed to get a perfect ending, there would have been a more traditional Uncharted climax where the group gets together and finds the katana. You gotta wonder...
> 
> And once again, the poll closing date in the summary is just to avoid spoilers.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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